Reinsdorf one of 13 Jefferson Awards recipients

June 16, 2011 -- Chicago Bulls chariman Jerry Reinsdorf will be among 13 recipients of the 2011 Jefferson Awards, presented by co-founder Sam Beard and Executive Director Robert Ford.

Celebrating the decidedly American characteristic for giving back, the 39th annual Jefferson Awards will be bestowed on 13 recipients nationwide whose lives, careers and volunteer activities embody the finest examples of public service.

Other recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Share Our Strength founder Bill Shore, former Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn and Cell Phones for Soldiers founders Brittany and Robbie Bergquist.

Known as the “Nobel Prize” for public service, the awards are presented each year during a special gala ceremony in Washington, D.C. where a broad array of honorees are recognized – from high-profile individuals who have dedicated the better part of their lives to public service to celebrated professional athletes to largely unheralded community-based volunteers. Also recognized are organizations – companies that represent the pinnacle in corporate citizenship and schools that best reflect the Jeffersonian ideals of citizen involvement.

Co-founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard, The Jefferson Awards annually celebrate America’s commitment to public service. Recognizing both the famous and the unknown, individuals and organizations, the awards reflect one of the founding ideals of our nation, that of contributing toward the larger good. Past recipients of the award include Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey, Bill and Melinda Gates, Dr. C. Everett Koop, General Colin Powell and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.