Gloria Flora was dedicated to the nation's forests all through her over 20 years with the National Forest Service, rising to be Supervisor of The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada. When local anti-environmentalists protested her protection of that forest and its creatures, Flora and her staff held their ground, with no backup from Service's national office in Washington. She resigned in protest and started her own nonprofit environmental group.
Home when commended: North America, US, Montana Home now: North America, US, Montana Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Sylvia Flores de Hernandez of Jalisco, Mexico, a nurse and social worker, started knocking on pueblo doors decades ago, asking poor women to come to her new community health clinic. She faced strong opposition from some quarters because she offered family planning and sex education, including information on AIDS, as well as prevention and treatment of women's and children's health problems. Her clinic has been a model for similar projects all over Latin America.
Home when commended: Central America, Mexico Home now: Central America, Mexico Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Ralph Flowers of Aberdeen WA was hired to shoot bears that were eating trees on timber plantations. Using his own time and money, Flowers created and deployed food pellets, saving the lives of the bears he was ordered to kill, while still preserving the trees he was ordered to protect.
Home when commended: North America, US, Washington Home now: North America, US, Washington Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Cary Fowler has devoted his life to protecting seed diversity and fighting against policies that replace locally adapted plants with hybrids. He and his partner Pat Mooney founded the non-profit Rural Advancement Fund International and almost singlehandedly took on Big Business to protect genetic resources from misuse and monopolization.
Home when commended: Europe, Norway Home now: Europe, Norway Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Professor Hetty Fox of New York NY left a well-paying job to return to her South Bronx neighborhood and devote herself to its renewal. Fox has lobbied, led classes, renovated derelict buildings, run a free after-school program, and patrolled the street at night to show a "command presence."
Home when commended: North America, US, New York Home now: North America, US, New York Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Since 1979 when he founded Fresh Air for Non-Smokers (FANS), Robert Fox of Seattle WA has faced down angry co-workers and worked endless unpaid hours to get a ban on smoking in public places and smoke-free flights on domestic airlines.
Home when commended: North America, US, Washington Home now: North America, US, Washington Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Peace Foxx Jr of Boston MA was a driving force in the creation of the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, Inc. The shelter is open 24 hours a day to provide emergency food, clothing, shelter, counseling on VA benefits, rehab, job training and employment, housing, and referrals for drug and alcohol treatment. The shelter has 50 full-time employees, most of them former clients, and houses more than 150 homeless vets a night. (See also Mark Helberg, Ken Smith & Howard Levine.)
Home when commended: North America, US, Massachusetts Home now: North America, US, Massachusetts Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Irving Fradkin of Fall River MA gave up his income as an optometrist to devote himself to establishing the Dollars for Scholars program, which funds further education for high school grads who can't afford to go on. There are now over 300 DFS chapters in 29 states.
Home when commended: North America, US, Massachusetts Home now: North America, US, Massachusetts Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Billy Frank, Jr. of Olympia WA has been on the front lines of the struggle for Native American fishing rights since 1964 when he deliberately caused his own arrest by fishing "illegally" at a traditional Nisqually fishing site. Frank remained out-spoken about the tribes' treaty fishing rights, even when other fishermen were shooting at tribal gill netters. Now Chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Frank has helped bring together government, industry, environmentalists and the tribes to protect Northwest wild salmon runs.
Home when commended: North America, US, Washington Home now: North America, US, Washington Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Ida and Jesse Frankel of New York City alerted their neighbors to the pending closure of their branch library. They rallied oldsters, students, and everyone in between to sit in at the library 24 hours a day for 40 days until the city agreed to keep it and a lot of other neighborhood libraries open.
Home when commended: North America, US, New York Home now: North America, US, New York Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Ida and Jesse Frankel of New York City alerted their neighbors to the pending closure of their branch library. They rallied oldsters, students, and everyone in between to sit in at the library 24 hours a day for 40 days until the city agreed to keep it and a lot of other neighborhood libraries open.
Home when commended: North America, US, New York Home now: North America, US, New York Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Ida and Jesse Frankel of New York City alerted their neighbors to the pending closure of their branch library. They rallied oldsters, students, and everyone in between to sit in at the library 24 hours a day for 40 days until the city agreed to keep it and a lot of other neighborhood libraries open.
Home when commended: North America, US, New York Home now: North America, US, New York Gender: C (couple) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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In 2001 Ken Frantz founded non-profit Bridges to Prosperity to build and repair footbridges that connect impoverished people to the resources they need for survival. He moved into action after seeing a photograph of Ethiopian villagers struggling to cross the Blue Nile without a bridge. Dozens of bridges later, he has yet to draw a penny in pay.
Home when commended: North America, US, Virginia Home now: North America, US, Virginia Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Carissa Frasca of Virginia Beach VA was one of five 6th graders who pushed for stronger legislation to protect children from unsafe toys. They were patronized and ignored by many adults, but they lobbied their legislators, wrote letters to their local papers, and did research at daycare centers. They appeared before the Virginia Assembly and the U.S. Congress as expert witnesses on toy safety, and a bill they initiated requiring hospital emergency rooms to report any toy-related injuries became law in Virginia. (See also Zachary Bradley, Leslie Gregory, Emily Letts and J. Kyle Massey.)
Home when commended: North America, US, Virginia Home now: North America, US, Virginia Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Janet Fredericks and Tom Verner make magic in the most desperate places –refugee camps in Somalia and hospitals in Bosnia. Through their nonprofit Magicians Without Borders they bring magic and hope to kids all around the world whose lives have been torn apart by war, natural disaster, disease and extreme poverty.
Home when commended: North America, US, Vermont Home now: North America, US, Vermont Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Fredericks, Janet and Tom Verner Janet Fredericks and Tom Verner make magic in the most desperate places – like refugee camps in Somalia and hospitals in Bosnia. Through their nonprofit Magicians Without Borders they bring magic and hope to kids all around the world whose lives have been torn apart by war, natural disaster, disease and extreme poverty.
Home when commended: North America, US, Vermont Home now: North America, US, Vermont Gender: C (couple) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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FIND GIRAFFES
Please note
We're adding stories and photos to the Giraffe Heroes database everyday. If information isn't visible yet, know that we're working on it.
YOU & THE FOUNDER
From time to time, Ann Medlock, this Project's founder, does a brief but inspiring email called Heads Up. You can check out past copies here. They're so good (and so free) we bet you'll join the Heads Up circle and send them on to friends & family.
For further wit & wisdom from Ann, check out her speeches, radio commentaries and OpEds.