The Jefferson Award

"Our mission is to encourage and honor
individuals for their achievements and contributions
through public and community service."

In 1972, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard founded the American Institute for Public Service, a 501(c)(3) public foundation, to establish a Nobel Prize for public and community service - The Jefferson Awards. National award recipients represent a "Who's Who" of outstanding Americans.

In 2005, Ben Shuldiner was selected to receive the special Samuel S. Beard Award for the Greatest Public Service by an Individual Thirty-Five Years or Under. (Read "This Award is Not for Me," Ben's speech delivered upon acceptance of this award.)

Read more about the history of the award and past recipients on the office website of the Jefferson Awards.