In the Initial Report of Orphans International Worldwide, written from 1998-1999, founder Jim Luce wrote, “Without saints, secular or divine, sanctity can too easily be viewed as mere abstraction. Our children need heroes. The courage of Mahatma Gandhi and the brilliance of Albert Einstein make sainthood a reality for us all.” In his Initial Report, Luce called for 36 real-life saints to serve as role models for the children of OIWW as part of the process of Raising Global Citizens.

 

These global heroes included:

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Mahatma Gandhi

Oscar Romero

The Dalai Lama

Thich Nhat Hanh

Katharine Drexel

Dorothy Day

Woodrow Wilson

Albert Schweitzer

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mother Teresa

Desmond Tutu

Aung San Suu Kyi

Nelson Mandela

Yitzhak Rabin

Pearl S. Buck

Menachem Begin

Heinrich Böll

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Since then, Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) has presented its Global Citizenship Award for Leadership in Helping Humanity. Recipients in 2010 included U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Hellenic Republic Parliamentarian Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, Director Charlotte Brandin of the World Childhood Foundation, Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary, and WCBS Anchor Cindy Hsu.