NOBEL Women Honors Compassion & Choices With Award

The 2021 Corporate Champion Award recognized our efforts to educate Black Americans about end-of-life planning during the pandemic.

Nov 18, 2021 Award NOBEL November 2021 Newsletter

Compassion & Choices was both surprised and humbled to receive a 2021 Corporate Champion Award at the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women) 36th annual conference in October. The award is given to corporations “who through their partnership exudes and promotes the tenets of its mission and vision which includes serving as a global voice to address a myriad of issues affecting women, children and families.” Specifically cited by NOBEL Women President Karen Camper was our Education, Empowerment and Advocacy webinar series that provided valuable information regarding end-of-life education during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that has severely affected underserved communities.

Established in 1985, NOBEL Women is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of current and former black women legislators and other elected officials that works to increase and promote the presence of black women in government, and to address issues affecting the lives of all women. Our collaboration with the organization goes back to 2015, when Compassion & Choices National Director of Community Engagement Brandi Alexander gave a presentation at their annual conference. Attending and speaking at the 2021 conference — not knowing she would be accepting one of the organization’s two awards this year — was Compassion & Choices State Director Donna Smith, who was also recently invited to serve as co-chair of NOBEL Women’s corporate advisory board: “The fact that we were recognized for the Education, Empowerment and Advocacy series that we partnered with NOBEL on during the pandemic is an honor, but to be recognized with Pfizer for their work  during the pandemic to get people vaccinated is indeed amazing. 

NOBEL Women, which also passed an end-of-life care resolution in 2019, recognized Compassion & Choices’ leadership in end-of-life planning education efforts. “When we don’t prepare for the end of life, it hurts us and it hurts our community,” says Smith. “My goal is to normalize discussions about death. If I can educate you on all of your end-of-life options, thereby empowering you to make your own decisions at the end of life and in the process become a better advocate for yourself, then I have done my job.”