Johann Olav Koss, the Olympic speed skater from Norway and founder of the nonprofit Right To Play, will visit Claremont McKenna College on Thursday and Friday, April 18-19, for activities surrounding the Kravis Prize.
Events throughout the day, including Thursday’s Global Leaders Forum––hosted by KLI and featuring previous Kravis Prize recipients–– as well as the Kravis Prize Award dinner, will be live-streamed at this address: http://www.cmc.edu/livestream.
Join the Conversation:
• #KravisPrize
• @KravisPrize
• @JohannKoss
• @RightToPlayIntl
• @CMCNews
Koss is the recipient of the 2013 Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership, presented by Claremont McKenna College. During an Athenaeum luncheon on Thursday, the Olympic athlete-turned-philanthropist will share his story with students, faculty, and staff, and discuss how Right To Play is using sports and play to empower and educate children around the world facing poverty, conflict, and disease. Right To Play’s impact is focused on four areas: education, health, peace building, and community development, and now reaches more than one million children in more than 20 countries.
The decorated athlete has utilized an impressive network of trained volunteers, including 300-plus Athlete Ambassadors, to help youth across the world––including girls, disabled people, children affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as former combatants and refugees. Right To Play’s work is currently expanding into the U.S., with the recent launch of its signature, play-based curriculum in more than 30 classrooms in the Bronx, New York, to help close achievement gaps in grade schools.
Koss was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, and was featured on its cover with U.S. Olympic speed skater Bonnie Blair. In 2010, acclaimed producer Frank Marshall directed Right To Play as part of a series of documentaries for ESPN. The film captures the remarkable story behind the founding of Right To Play. Watch the trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auTe3N36vAE
The Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership was established in 2006 and recognizes and celebrates extraordinary accomplishment and bold leadership in the nonprofit sector. The Kravis Prize is presented and administered by Claremont McKenna College and Marie-Josée Kravis and Henry Kravis. Mrs. Kravis, an economist, is a senior fellow of the Hudson Institute; Mr. Kravis, founding partner, co-chairman and co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an alumnus and trustee of Claremont McKenna College.
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to the following events–––
Kravis Prize Luncheon with Johann Koss: Thurs., April 18
Claremont McKenna College/Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum
11:30 a.m.: Luncheon Begins
12:05 p.m.: Johann Koss remarks, followed by audience Q&A
1 p.m.: Lunch concludes
** Limited seating still available. Reserve online.
Global Leader’s Forum, Thurs., April 18
1:15–2:30 p.m., Freeberg Forum, Kravis Center
Join previous Kravis Prize winners for a discussion about the major, global challenges that require exemplary leadership for positive impact: education and international development. Participants include mothers2mothers, preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa; FAWE, empowering girls and women in 32 African countries through gender-responsive education; Pratham, improving reading, writing, and arithmetic skills for children ages 6-14 in India; Escuela Nueva, building up basic, primary education for children in Latin America; and Landesa, securing land rights for the world’s poorest people.
About Right To Play
Right To Play is a global organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. Through playing sports and games, Right To Play helps children in more than 20 countries to build essential life skills and better futures, while driving lasting social change. Right To Play is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and has national offices in Canada, the Netherlands, Norway Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its programs are facilitated by 590 international staff and nearly 12,000 volunteer coaches. For more information about Right To Play, visit www.righttoplayusa.org.
More about the Kravis Prize: www.kravisprize.org