Published: 06-10-08
AUSTIN TX -- Ernst & Young LLP & the Silverton Foundation today awarded American YouthWorks (AYW) founder & CEO Richard Halpin its 2008 Regional Social Entrepreneur Of The Year® in Austin.
This year’s Entrepreneur award recipients were lauded at a special gala event at the Renaissance Austin Hotel with more than 700 people in attendance. All award recipients were selected by an independent panel of judges composed of area leaders from business and civic organizations.
Richard Halpin’s selection was based on his long term success helping at-risk youth stemming from his deep spirituality and strong belief in second chances. He formed American YouthWorks to assist at-risk youth in the early 1970s with little resources.
Over the decades the organization has grown to create a “one stop youth investment center” integrating a charter school with two campuses a health clinic job training programs counseling and “whatever-it-takes” services.
With a budget of approximately $6.89 million and 90 employees the nonprofit now serves about 1000 Austin-area youth annually the majority of whom are minorities.
Its Casa Verde Builders program which trains students to build green homes in low-income neighborhoods has won numerous national and local accolades including the National Homebuilders Association Gold Medal Award for Best Built Energy Efficient Home Southwest U.S. AYW attracts nonprofits around the nation to Austin to study its green building and youth recovery success.
American YouthWorks is gearing up for a major new initiative The Green Collar Training Center which will train students for careers in renewable energy sustainable agriculture and green building.
“The program will focus on retrofitting Austin and Travis County homes in order to increase energy efficiency thus lowering energy and maintenance costs while improving Austin’s carbon footprint” said Halpin.
Halpin has over thirty-five years of experience working with at-risk youth in Austin/Travis County. He started the first Texas YouthBuild project funded by five Texas Governors including Governor Rick Perry.
He serves as an advisor and consultant to national youth policy organizations. He is a member of the Austin Rotary Club. Married for twenty-eight years he is the father of four.
