Latest news with #HumanitarianoftheYear
Eater
16 hours ago
- Business
- Eater
Cafe Momentum Founder Chad Houser Cried and Laughed About Being the James Beard Humanitarian of the Year
Chad Houser opened Cafe Momentum in Downtown Dallas in 2015 with an impactful mission: to 'spark positive change' in people's lives by employing formerly incarcerated youth in the juvenile justice system and teaching them important life skills such as basic needs and resource navigation, conflict management, and financial literacy. To date, more than 1,000 kids have been involved in the program as paid interns, gaining an education in hospitality and discovering a career path through the employment opportunities provided by Cafe Momentum in Dallas, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Denver. This year, Houser is the recipient of the James Beard Award for Humanitarian of the Year. Eater Dallas caught up with Houser ahead of the ceremony, held this year on Monday, June 16, to discuss how he heard he would be receiving the award — and how it feels to break the city's 31-year losing streak at the Beards. He also discussed what's next for Cafe Momentum. Eater: How did you hear that you were getting this award? Chad Houser: I knew several months back that I was nominated, which I thought was cute and harmless. Several weeks before the announcement, I got an update that I was one of the five finalists. I thought I must be the 'common guy' finalist among four Jose Andrés equivalents. After that, two colleagues reached out to me within 30 seconds of each other, saying Dawn Padmore from the James Beard Foundation is trying to get hold of you. Our Dallas executive director, Margaret Reid Windham, said, 'You won! You had to have won!' I was like, 'Tap the brakes, friend. I'm sure it's a courtesy call to say, 'You were one of the finalists. Congratulations, you should be really proud.'' I would be exorbitantly proud. The fact that people at the James Beard Foundation know my name is beyond an honor. While I'm talking to Margaret, Dawn is calling me. When I answered, she said, 'It is my honor to call you and tell you that you are the 2025 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year.' I started bawling like a crybaby. I was driving north on Interstate 75 out of Downtown to go to the Communities Foundation of Texas to record a video, because we were the $500,000 grant recipients for the new flagship that we're building. So, I'm crying like a baby, and she's laughing. Dawn said, 'I'm sorry. Laughing is probably not the appropriate response.' I said, 'No ma'am, it's fine. I'm laughing, too. I'm crying and laughing.' Being emotional feels like the right response. I've been thinking a lot about it. Why was I so emotional? Some of it is because I miss my mom, who died in 2019, and she was my favorite human. Every day, I try to be half the person she was. As for me, I went into the Dallas County Juvenile Department in 2008 to visit and later volunteer, and it sent me on a journey. In 2010, I heard somebody say, 'What are you going to do when the kids stab each other in the kitchen?' I would hear people say, 'Those kids don't want to work. They just want to collect a check.' Or, 'Those kids have never been to a nice restaurant. They can't cook your food.' We did 41 pop-up dinners from June 2011 to December 2014 at the best restaurants in Dallas. Our kids pulled off synchronized service at places like FT33. And yet, when we opened, people were shocked to find the food was good. I remember a guy sending me a friend request on Facebook several months after we opened, and he posted a picture of a steak knife down by his calf that he captioned, 'Shiv, just in case. Dining at Cafe Momentum.' I thought, Fuck you! I'm not going to be your friend . So, part of feeling emotional about this is that, for maybe the first time since I started working with kids 17 years ago, the narrative around them is changing. Acknowledgement from the James Beard Foundation is a sign that the country is, at a minimum, open to a new conversation about these young people, and, at a maximum, is ready to acknowledge that these are incredible people who deserve what they've been given. There has also been a conversation about race that has opened up since 2020, which impacts this issue, as well as the ongoing problem of recidivism. I think people believe in an idea that produces results, and your idea has proven itself. I think the community has proven it. Our kids at Cafe Momentum don't leave their neighborhoods. When they come to Cafe Momentum, they're surrounded by people from all over the city, the Metroplex, and the state. For a population of young people who have been marginalized, stereotyped, and labeled for generations in the most egregious ways — to come here and feel loved, supported, included, and wanted might be the most empowering thing that happens in their lives. It's palpable; it's not data on a piece of paper. You watch a young person first working in the dining room, and they're looking down; they don't want to make eye contact. They have zero trust for anyone in the dining room — and they shouldn't. That trust is earned over time. Then, you see them grow. Their back is straight, their chest is up, and they're talking to people at the tables. That is special. I think more than just studying recidivism or data, you're watching it happen, and that's the way it needs to be. Dallas is still segregated in a lot of ways. We were one of the last major Southern cities to desegregate schools, and there are still physical barriers between neighborhoods. It's smart that you created this Downtown, because it isn't too far for them to travel, and it doesn't have a specific identity, unlike the Park Cities. That is part of the conversation that happens at Cafe Momentum's tables. People who live north of Downtown have absolutely no clue what exists south of Downtown. My dad lived with my wife and me for five years, and he was born in 1944 and graduated from a segregated school in Florida. I asked him, 'Hey Dad, how many grocery stores do you think there are south of I-30 in Dallas?' And he said, 'Maybe 100?' There are two. He couldn't believe it. That is part of the learning that happens here. A byproduct of the restaurant is building proximity between communities and a safe space for our kids, which is important as well. I knew that we had to be more than a restaurant. Being just a restaurant was like putting a Band-Aid on a waterfall. What is the future for Cafe Momentum? The idea of expanding Cafe Momentum was first entertained in 2018 or 2019, when we began hosting pop-up dinners around the country. When we launched a national team, I wanted one of our capabilities to be storytelling. I want our kids' voices to be heard, and if they want to speak, we need to give them the platform. So, we built the marketing and communications capability from the get-go, and interestingly enough, that propelled us during the pandemic. We now have these relationships with the NFL, the Players' Coalition, and so forth. Because we couldn't go around the country doing pop-up dinners during COVID, we did them on Zoom with players from Women's Professional Fastpitch softball, the WNBA, Major League Soccer, Major League Lacrosse, the NFL, and more. We would DoorDash our kids' food, and the kids would talk about what they were eating and why, and it would turn into an open conversation. It showed the value of connectivity through storytelling. Coming out of the pandemic, we leaned into it, which is why we've served food at five of the last six Super Bowls. Our kids deserve to be heard, and they deserve a call to action to change the system that has impacted them. Our expansion isn't just building new physical locations; it's also having a conversation around changing the models for juvenile justice in our country. The dream was to have other people copy our model and replicate it, whether that be a juvenile justice department, a restaurant, or whatever. It is working. For the last three years, we've had two to three groups a month come and study our model. What can you share about your new flagship that is being built in Dallas? In Dallas, Cafe Momentum is in a former burger joint that we retrofitted into a program that also runs a restaurant. We've taken our learnings from Dallas and applied them to designs in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Denver, so we need to be thoughtful around the design of this place. While we were considering that, Peter Miller from the Meadows Foundation approached us and offered us the land. We have spent months working with architects and designers, thinking through human-centered and trauma-informed design. We were asking, how do we build a space that can welcome people from around the country to steal our model? To me, that's the most effective way of scaling. You are also breaking a streak in Dallas with this award. It will be the first Beard Award the city has won in 31 years, since Dean Fearing won the last one. How do you feel about that? You're joking. Nope, totally serious. I don't know. The word I keep defaulting to is surreal. I feel not worthy. Overwhelmed. I thank the chefs and restaurants that graciously opened their doors to us on a Sunday night, the chefs who came in with their full staffs when their restaurants were closed to work alongside eight young men who were formerly incarcerated to execute a dinner that showed the city what our kids are capable of when allowed to walk in their greatness. I think those chefs own this award. I think over 1,300 children own this award. While I know I'm biased, I don't know that we could have launched this anywhere other than Dallas. The way the city embraced Cafe Momentum is special, so I want to congratulate Dallas as a community. The first award we get in 31 years is one we can own as a city. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Sign up for our newsletter.
Irish Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Wicklow charitymarks 15 years as annual report highlights ‘helping homeless with dignity'
Senator Aubrey McCarthy marked the milestone with a reminder of how 'a small group of us came together to create an organisation dedicated to helping those facing addiction and homelessness with dignity', and described 2024 as 'both busy and impactful'. In his message, he pointed to huge challenges in the early part of the year, when, in February, the demand for homeless services surged at Tiglin's Lighthouse homeless café, in Dublin. "Despite limited resources, the team persevered, distributing essentials to those in need,' he said. He was rewarded personally for his endeavours when he was bestowed with the Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year award, in May, something he modestly described as a 'true team effort'. This was followed in June, when he was 'both surprised and delighted' to be presented with the RDS Lifetime Achievement Award. From a challenging start, the year ended on a hugely positive note, with the organisation benefitting from a €1.4m grant to enhance women's recovery facilities, in September, followed by the October purchase of the Loreto convent in Bray. CEO Phil Thompson called the acquisition of the Bray facility 'remarkable', and noted how the site, currently home to around 40 Ukrainian nationals, 'opens new possibilities for Tiglin to address housing and healthcare needs for vulnerable populations'. "Looking ahead, we are excited to collaborate with Wicklow County Council and other state bodies to unlock the full potential of this site,' he said. The event, on Thursday, May 22, was hosted by Senator McCarthy, who was recently appointed to the Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Local Government, and showcased the charity's impactful and life-changing work across the country. The report itself outlines a year of intense activity and growing need. In 2024 alone, Tiglin's frontline Lighthouse Café served over 100,000 hot meals – an indicator of the deepening crisis of homelessness and hardship in Ireland. Social Care in Action brought together members of the Oireachtas, frontline workers, service users, and supporters. It offered a rare opportunity for policymakers to hear directly from those working on, and affected by, the realities of Ireland's social care landscape. A central theme was the role of lived experience in shaping effective national policy, particularly in the areas of addiction recovery, housing, and reintegration. ADVERTISEMENT Among the speakers were Tiglin graduates Paul and Nicola, who shared powerful personal stories of transformation. Nicola reflected on her past. 'My main goal for the day used to be just to drink. That was it. And saying it now, it's heartbreaking,' she said. Nicola was a participant in RTE's riveting three-part documentary in April, Hooked, hosted by Dr Brian Pennie. She was in the latter stages of treatment for alcohol addiction at Tiglin's Women's Centre in Greystones, and recounted how her days were shaped by addiction. These days, as part of Tiglin's reintegration programme, she's working in the bakery at the Rise coffee shop, while studying and slowly rebuilding herself as she strives to 'dip back into reality and to life'. Meanwhile, Paul, who also spoke at the launch, described how his life has too changed: 'Right now, in the community, I'm not 'Paul the addict' anymore,' he said. 'I'm just Paul. People don't know my past unless I tell them. And for the first time, I see a future – one where I give back and help others find their way too.' Today, Tiglin operates across seven locations, offering rehabilitation, supported housing, education, youth outreach, and community employment programmes. All of its work is grounded in a holistic, person-centred approach of restoration and dignity. The 2024 Annual Report highlights some remarkable outcomes for the organisation, including:
Ottawa Citizen
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Charlottetown Islanders defenceman nominated for humanitarian player of the year
Article content Charlottetown Islanders defenceman Max Jardine is in the running for a Golden Pucks award in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Article content Article content The 20-year-old Jardine, who has one year of eligibility remaining, is one of three finalists for humanitarian of the year. Article content The Golden Pucks will be presented in Quebec City on June 5. Article content Since joining the Islanders during the 2023-24 season, Jardine has been one of the Islanders' most active players giving back to the local community. Article content Article content Isles Assistant Captain Max Jardine is a finalist for the @QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year! From Special Olympics PEI to Make-A-Wish, minor hockey, anti-bullying & more — Max gives back in a big way. Full Details • — Charlottetown Islanders (@IslandersHKY) May 21, 2025 Article content Jardine, from Miramichi, N.B., partnered with Special Olympics P.E.I. and the Islanders to host the Charlottetown Islanders Special Olympics Spotlight during home games at Eastlink Centre in the 2024-25 season. Article content Jardine, who was named an assistant captain last season, also willingly volunteers his time to help at local minor hockey practices and has volunteered with Make-A-Wish. Jardine's efforts played a role in raising $10,000 to grant a child's wish. Article content Jardine was very active in the Islanders hosting Make-A-Wish ambassadors at a home game during the 2024-25 season. Article content As part of Crime Stoppers, Jardine has participated in anti-bullying campaigns in P.E.I. schools and he also supports the IWK Foundation. Article content Article content Jardine continues to give back to the P.E.I. community during the summer as well. An infielder with the Charlottetown Gaudet's Auto Body Islanders' senior men's baseball team, Jardine supports both baseball and hockey camps in the summer. Article content Also nominated for humanitarian of the year are Baie-Comeau defenceman Anthony Lavoie and Rimouski forward Jacob Mathieu. Article content
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Inspirational Kilkenny woman who lost husband and son to suicide named Humanitarian of the Year – ‘I still haven't come back down to earth'
Kilkenny mother-of-five and founder of Teac Tom, Angela Hayes, was honoured with the Humanitarian of the Year award at the seventh annual Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards that took place at the Royal College of Physicians on Thursday. In 2002, Angela lost her husband, Tommy, to suicide. In 2011, her world shattered again when she lost her 19-year-old son, Thomas, to suicide on the anniversary of his dad's death. Angela founded The Thomas Hayes Trust in 2014 in memory of her son, Thomas. Since then, the organisation has become a lifeline for families touched by suicide and aims to address the lack of suicide prevention and bereavement support services. Through Teac Tom, Angela provides immediate walk-in crisis intervention, professional counselling, and family support without waiting lists. In 2024, Teac Tom delivered nearly 5,000 one-to-one support and therapy sessions for adolescents, adults, and children, accessible without doctor referrals and at minimal cost. Angela fundraises €300,000 annually to maintain these critical services and ensures cost is never a barrier for those in need. "I still haven't come back down to earth,' Angela told The Irish Independent. 'It's just unbelievable and such a great honour to receive this award I still can't believe it. It hasn't sunk in yet.' Following the deaths of her husband and son, it became painfully clear for Angela that there was a lack of support for families in Ireland touched by suicide. Determined that no other family experience the unthinkable pain of losing a loved one to suicide, Angela decided to use her own personal experience to help others. "For me personally, the award shows how far I have come as a human being because I suppose I could have buried my head in the sand all of those years ago and not driven this but I felt I had a vision, vocation and compassion to offer support and empathy to people to make sure they don't find themselves in the same situation I found myself in all those years ago,' she explained. When Angela was called on stage to collect her award, she dedicated it to her parents who have inspired and supported her throughout her life. "This award is in honour of my parents especially. My parents reared me to have courage, to know what's right and wrong and to show love and kindness to every individual in the world. It's because of them that I am the person I am today.' Speaking as she received the Humanitarian of the Year award during Thursday's awards ceremony, Angela said that even the smallest acts of care and humanity can 'create ripples of change'. "Winning the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards is a deeply humbling and proud moment for me,' she said. 'It represents a recognition not just of my work, but of the resilience, compassion, and commitment that drive everything I do to support those affected by suicide and mental health challenges. "To be acknowledged by an organisation rooted in humanity and hope affirms that even the smallest acts of care can create ripples of change and I'm honoured to stand among others who are striving to make a difference. "This award honours not only my journey, but also the memory of those in my family who didn't get the help they needed. I carry their voices with me in every step I take,' continued Angela. 'I dedicate this award to my incredible parents, who raised me with compassion, courage, and a deep sense of humanity. "Everything I am is because of them and to my sons and daughter, who have supported and encouraged me throughout this journey. It's not always easy for them — they've seen the worry, the weight of keeping Teac Tom's doors open, but their love keeps me going.' Angela added that Teac Tom "exists for the community, in the heart of the community' and has a clear vision for its future.
Global News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Game 1 of the OHL Championship Series goes to the Oshawa Generals
Andrew Gibson scored two power play goals for the Oshawa Generals as they grabbed Game 1 of the OHL Championship Series with a 4-2 victory over the London Knights on March 8 at Canada Life Place. Oshawa came into the series with a 35.8 per cent success rate on the man advantage and scored three of their four goals that way to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7. The first period showed just how tight things can get when two elite teams hit the ice. The scoreboard read 0-0 through 20 minutes and shots stood at 4-4. That changed at 4:05 of the second period when Noah Read skated across the Oshawa blue line on the left side and found Rene Van Bommel going to the net and the Strathroy, Ont., native scored his first goal of the playoffs and the first goal of the series to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. Story continues below advertisement Gibson tied the game for the Generals on a power play at 10:08 but London climbed back in front when Kasper Halttunen rocketed a wrist shot past Jacob Oster on a Knights man advantage with 1:03 remaining in the middle period and London took a 2-1 lead into the third period. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Gibson tied the game a second time at 8:18 of the final period when he scored with three seconds remaining on a double-minor. Oshawa took their first lead on a 4-on-3 power play when Cal Ritchie walked into the slot and wristed in his seventh goal of the playoffs at the 16:35 mark of the third. The Knights pulled goaltender Austin Elliott with just over two minutes remaining in regulation time but could not find the equalizer and Matt Buckley sealed things for the Generals when he scored into an empty net with 40.7 seconds left on the clock. London outshot Oshawa 32-26. The Generals were 3-for-9 on the man advantage. The Knights were 1-for-3. Denver Barkey named OHL Humanitarian of the Year London Knights captain Denver Barkey has been named the 2025 OHL Humanitarian of the Year. Barkey worked with the London Knights Official Fan Club to found Barkey's Buds and was instrumental in creating opportunities in the London community for young people and their families to attend games but also for young people to play the game of hockey who might not otherwise have the means to do so. Barkey's Buds was also responsible for donating over 1500 pieces of hockey equipment as part of a drive held during the season. Story continues below advertisement Up next London and Oshawa will play Game 2 at Canada Life Place on Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m., before the series shifts to Oshawa Games 3 and 4 on May 12 and May 13. Coverage for both games will begin at 6:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL at and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
