The Kenneth Cole Foundation Announces Compass Fellow Finalists for the Kenneth Cole Grants
New York, March 27, 2014 /3BL Media/ - The Kenneth Cole Foundation and Compass Partners have announced six finalists selected for the Kenneth Cole Grants to support young entrepreneurs working on ventures that embody “conscious consumption.” Fashion designer and social activist Kenneth Cole is awarding four $2,500 grants to members of The Compass Fellowship, an international social entrepreneurship program on nearly 20 college campuses.
“We couldn’t be more excited and grateful for this continued partnership with Kenneth Cole. Students in The Compass Fellowship are tackling a variety of social problems during their first year of college and beyond, and these grants will dramatically accelerate their ability to make a difference.” – Alex Simon, Executive Director of Compass Partners
“We are extremely proud to further our support of the Compass Fellowship. There is a global shortage of committed, impassioned and determined young social entrepreneurs, and community builders. The Kenneth Cole grant will directly support the Fellows in their individual quests to make a difference," says Kenneth Cole, Founder and CEO of Kenneth Cole Productions.
Finalists for the grants were determined based on their awareness of the problem they are trying to solve, the sustainable model for their venture, and their plan to use the Kenneth Cole Grant to make tangible progress. Finalists for the Kenneth Cole Grants are:
Corinne Logan - Pumpstash compression shorts are designed to be a comfortable and secure way to hold insulin pumps for diabetics on the move
Nick Makarov & Joe Halpin - SamePage is an application that helps students synthesize complex current events using timelines, infographics, and glossaries rather than the traditional article format
Phillip Sweeney - Recessive Jeans is a socially aware brand of colored jeans that supports the research/awareness efforts for genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome and Marfan Syndrome where the proceeds from the sale of specific colors of jeans goes towards the cause that the color represents.
Jeff Stefanis - Riide - The bike has evolved. Lighter. Faster. Electric.
Jeremy Pingul - Connect One Threads aims to inspire a global mindset by connecting you with conscious international clothing designers who support locally-sourced organic cotton clothing from Turkey"
Adrian Rodriguez - inQRy Med seeks to reduce unintentional medical malpractice and increase health equity in Southeast Asia by implementing a secure, digital repository of patient records that doctors and patients can access through connected bracelets.
The announcement of the four winners of the Kenneth Cole Grants will take place April 5th during Shift Series, the annual conference of The Compass Fellowship in Washington, DC. Shift Series brings together nearly 250 students from across the United States to share their social venture ideas and network with mentors who will help accelerate their entrepreneurial work. During the conference, attendees focus on one central question: How can we prepare the world today to address tomorrow's social problems? Students from 19 universities in, New York, Washington, Boston, North Carolina, San Francisco, Connecticut and Indiana, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Georgia will be in attendance.
# # #
About Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole is an American designer, social activist, and visionary who believes business and philanthropy are interdependent. His global company, Kenneth Cole Productions, creates modern, functional clothing, shoes, and accessories for an inspirational urban lifestyle. Over 30 years ago, Kenneth Cole leveraged his passion and unique brand platform to make a meaningful impact on people’s wardrobes, as well as communities in need. He did what others didn’t and said what others wouldn’t.
In 1985, Kenneth pioneered the first of many AIDS awareness campaigns for amfAR, which rooted the brand in social activism. Kenneth joined the board of amfAR in 1987, has been chairman since 2004, and spearheaded initiatives that have changed the face of HIV/AIDS for the betterment of millions.
Over 20 years ago, driven by his passion for social justice and the need to help underserved populations, Kenneth invented the concept of a shoe drive. The program evolved to include clothing, and to date has led to the donation of more than 2 million pairs of shoes and over 6 million dollars worth of product to global communities in need.
In 2010, the company refocused their shoe drive concept to respond to the earthquake in Haiti and also introduced a fundraising campaign. This enabled the company to build the Kenneth Cole Haiti Health Center in Cité Soleil, which now supports an underserved population of over 1.5 million people.
To this day, The Kenneth Cole Foundation opens minds through education and awareness; partners with organizations committed to supporting communities in need; promotes the culture of volunteerism by mobilizing individuals to take action; and invests in social entrepreneurship and community builders.
