Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting Project ®

February 2006, Distinguished Service Award 2005 was presented to Ann S. Kelly, Founder/Executive Director, Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting Project® Martial Artist/Self Defense Specialist by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce.  One of three citizens recognized for outstanding service to the community.  The Hands Project began in Oregon’s capital city in 1997.  This grass roots movement has spread to all 50 states and 9 foreign countries and is making a positive difference in countless number of lives.

June 2005, Operation Respect & the Don’t Laugh At Me Program selected Walnut Middle School, Grand Island, Nebraska as one of five schools in the United States and Canada to receive recognition as a model for positive change in schools. On June 30-July 1, 2005 at Operation Respect’s national symposium in Washington, D.C. representatives from Walnut Middle School  presented their results which highlighted the Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting Project.  Participants included national and state education organizations, leading government officials, educators, and researchers.  The goal of the symposium was to demonstrate conclusively that schools can transform their environment.

The University of Oregon College of Education Alumni Association awarded The Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting Project’s® Board Member, Gretchen Olson, its annual Community Award for the Santiam Region. This award recognizes individuals and organizations making significant contributions to education in their communities.  April, 2005,

15th Annual Salem Peace Lecture Award
presented to the Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting Project® at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon on October 20, 2004.  Members sponsoring the event and the community award include: The Salem Chapter of the United Nations, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Willamette University Educational Programs Committee, the Willamette University Office of the Chaplain and Salem Peace Plaza, Inc.

October 2003, National School of Character Award was presented to Walnut Middle School, Grand Island, Nebraska, the only middle school in the nation to receive this prestigious award.  Each year, Character Education Partnership (CEP) selects schools and districts from across the country that demonstrates outstanding and successful character education initiatives. The CEP is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to developing moral character and civic virtue in our nation’s youth as one means of creating a more compassionate and responsible society.  The 2003 National Schools of Character Award was presented to Walnut Middle School in Washington, D.C. in October, 2003. Ten schools (K-12) in the nation were honored with this award. Walnut Middle School was the only middle school to be selected.