Moorestown Nonprofit Launches Humanitarian Of The Month Award

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The founder of a nonprofit organization that supports math and science teachers is looking to honor Moorestown residents through a new initiative.

Janet Knowles, the founder of the Knowles Teacher Initiative, is launching a Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month Award.

“I believe we have heroes and heroines among us that don’t get acknowledged and anyone who has worked to help to improve the welfare and happiness of people and alleviate suffering should be highlighted,” Knowles told Patch in an email. “I am willing to donate to a winning nominee of the month $1,000 to the charity of their choice for being that winner.”

The recipients will be announced on the 15th day of each month, beginning in March, Knowles said. The charities that benefit from donations must be a registered 501c3, but do not need to be based in Moorestown.

Knowles will be part of a five-person committee of her choosing who selects the winners during a meeting once a month. Committee members may not be nominated and may not nominate awardees.

They will not be permitted to vote on family members or employees who are considered for the award. Any committee member who can’t participate in the selection process will be replaced by an alternate selected by Knowles with the consent of committee members.

The following guidelines are set for award nominees:

• Nominees must be a resident of Moorestown Township at the time of their nomination.
• Nominee’s humanitarian work need not be confined to Moorestown.
• Nominees’ humanitarian work and service activities should be unrelated to their employment.
• Individuals with an active candidacy for political office or for the Moorestown Board of Education are not eligible for the award.
• Nominees may be an individual, a couple or a family that resides in Moorestown. Once someone has received the award, they will not be eligible for future nomination.
• Employees of the Knowles Teacher Initiative and their families are not eligible for nomination.
• Nominations can be made online using this form. The form can also be mailed to:

Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month
PO Box 826
Moorestown, NJ 08057

During the first week of each month, the award committee will review all nominations that have been received by midnight of the last day of the previous month.

Committee members may contact those who made the nomination or others to get more information on nominees.

Each committee member will vote for one nominee to be considered by the committee for that month’s award.

If no nominees receive a majority of votes (3 of 5), the committee members will rank the nominees who received a vote and assign a score based on ranking (1 point for first place, 2 points for 2nd place etc.)

The nominee with the highest score will be eliminated from consideration that month and the committee will vote again. If none of the remaining nominees receive 3 of 5 votes, the ranking and elimination process will be repeated until a nominee is selected by a majority of votes.

The Knowles Teacher Initiative, based at 1000 North Church Street in Moorestown, is a nonprofit organization that supports a national network of innovative mathematics and science teachers who are dedicated to improving education for all students in the United States, according to its website.

“We strive to create an educational system that is led by teachers who are equipped to solve difficult problems and respond to local challenges in order to serve all of our nation’s students,” the organization says on its website.

For more on the organization, visit knowlesteachers.org.

This story is part of Patch's Headlining Hope series, which profiles local nonprofits and charitable organizations in need of volunteers and resources. If you know of a local organization that should be profiled, contact Anthony.Bellano@patch.com.