Emily Elizabeth Douglas
Encyclopedia
Emily Elizabeth Douglas is the founder and executive director of Grandma's Gifts Incorporated
. She is from Powell, Ohio
, and currently works for Battelle Memorial Institute
with Battelle for Kids
.
Grandma's Gifts is a charity organization that works to provide goods and services to children and families in Appalachia
. To date, over 12 million dollars in goods and services have been provided. Additionally, over 650,000 books have been donated to needy children, daycares, hospitals, and libraries; more than 10,000 pounds of food have been given to families, battered woman's shelters, and food pantries. The organization is run by volunteer youth and young adults.
in political science
from Miami University
in Oxford, Ohio
in 2004, where she graduated Kappa Delta
. She holds a Master of Labor and Human Resources
degree and a Master of Business Administration
degree from the Ohio State University
in Columbus, Ohio
.
in memory of her grandmother, Norma Ackison, who died of breast and lung cancer in 1991 at the age of 60. One of 11 children, Ackison was an infant when her father died. She survived during the Great Depression
because of her neighbor's charity. When she grew up, she returned the kindness to others. Douglas stated that when she was a child, she would accompany her grandmother to the store to purchase canned goods and clothes for veterans. As a six year old, Douglas believed the goods were "for me". After her grandmother died, Douglas, at the age of eleven, "missed her so much, so I decided to [Grandma's Gifts] in her memory".
In the first year of Grandma's Gifts, Douglas wrote letters to her parent's friends who donated $300 to the cause. That year, she purchased Christmas presents and clothes for three impoverished children in Lawrence County, Ohio
. Three years later, when Douglas was 14 years old, her parents drove her to a house that lacked phones to grant a boy's Christmas wish. The boy wanted a new coat, and after he received it, his mother wept. Thereafter, Douglas became devoted to charity.
Douglas has traveled and spoken to more than 200,000 adults and children across the United States about community service
, youth activism
, service learning, Appalachia
, literacy
, and her organization. She has testified before the Ohio General Assembly
and the United States Congress
. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and has received multiple awards for her work as a youth activist and young adult social entrepreneur.
Grandma's Gifts
Grandma's Gifts is an incorporated, non-profit organization started by Emily Elizabeth Douglas in 1993 at age 11, in memory of her grandmother. The organization provides goods and services to impoverished children and their families while focusing on Appalachian areas of the United States...
. She is from Powell, Ohio
Powell, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,247 people, 1,975 households, and 1,789 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,057.3 people per square mile . There were 2,032 housing units at an average density of 669.2 per square mile...
, and currently works for Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the...
with Battelle for Kids
Battelle for Kids
Battelle for Kids is a United States not-for-profit organization established through a partnership with the Ohio Business Roundtable and supported by an initial grant from Battelle Memorial Institute. The organization was created in 2001 to improve student achievement in Ohio...
.
Grandma's Gifts is a charity organization that works to provide goods and services to children and families in Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
. To date, over 12 million dollars in goods and services have been provided. Additionally, over 650,000 books have been donated to needy children, daycares, hospitals, and libraries; more than 10,000 pounds of food have been given to families, battered woman's shelters, and food pantries. The organization is run by volunteer youth and young adults.
Education
Douglas attended Worthington Kilbourne High School and received a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
in 2004, where she graduated Kappa Delta
Kappa Delta
Kappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School , in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university...
. She holds a Master of Labor and Human Resources
Graduate degree programs in human resources management
This list of graduate degree programs in human resources management includes professional masters degrees concentrated in industrial relations and human resource management...
degree and a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree from the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
Grandma's Gifts
In 1993, Emily Douglas founded Grandma's GiftsGrandma's Gifts
Grandma's Gifts is an incorporated, non-profit organization started by Emily Elizabeth Douglas in 1993 at age 11, in memory of her grandmother. The organization provides goods and services to impoverished children and their families while focusing on Appalachian areas of the United States...
in memory of her grandmother, Norma Ackison, who died of breast and lung cancer in 1991 at the age of 60. One of 11 children, Ackison was an infant when her father died. She survived during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
because of her neighbor's charity. When she grew up, she returned the kindness to others. Douglas stated that when she was a child, she would accompany her grandmother to the store to purchase canned goods and clothes for veterans. As a six year old, Douglas believed the goods were "for me". After her grandmother died, Douglas, at the age of eleven, "missed her so much, so I decided to [Grandma's Gifts] in her memory".
In the first year of Grandma's Gifts, Douglas wrote letters to her parent's friends who donated $300 to the cause. That year, she purchased Christmas presents and clothes for three impoverished children in Lawrence County, Ohio
Lawrence County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,319 people, 24,732 households, and 17,807 families residing in the county. The population density was 137 people per square mile . There were 27,189 housing units at an average density of 60 per square mile...
. Three years later, when Douglas was 14 years old, her parents drove her to a house that lacked phones to grant a boy's Christmas wish. The boy wanted a new coat, and after he received it, his mother wept. Thereafter, Douglas became devoted to charity.
Douglas has traveled and spoken to more than 200,000 adults and children across the United States about community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
, youth activism
Youth activism
Youth activism is when the youth voice is engaged in community organizing for social change. Around the world, young people are engaged in activism as planners, researchers, teachers, evaluators, social workers, decision-makers, advocates and leading actors in the environmental movement, social...
, service learning, Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
, literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
, and her organization. She has testified before the Ohio General Assembly
Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate...
and the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and has received multiple awards for her work as a youth activist and young adult social entrepreneur.
Selected awards
A list, by year, of the awards and recognitions presented to Grandma's Gifts or Emily Douglas on behalf of the organization.- 2010
- Siena Medal from Theta Phi Alpha FraternityTheta Phi AlphaTheta Phi Alpha women's fraternity was founded at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor on August 30, 1912. Theta Phi Alpha is one of 26 national sororities recognized in the National Panhellenic Conference...
- American City Business JournalsAmerican City Business JournalsAmerican City Business Journals is an American newspaper chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina owned by Advance Publications. It has a range of media including 41 primary metropolitan weekly publications, which reach 4 million readers with business community related news, and Bizjournals, the...
's Forty Under 40 award
- Siena Medal from Theta Phi Alpha Fraternity
- 2009
- Glamour MagazineGlamour (magazine)Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
's Sally Hanson Best of You finalist
- Glamour Magazine
- 2008
- L'OrealL'OréalThe L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
Paris Women of Worth Finalist - People Magazine full page article, "Helping Kids in Appalachia"
- L'Oreal
- 2007
- Hannity's AmericaHannity's AmericaHannity's America was a weekly American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by Sean Hannity. It was replaced in January 2009 with Hannity.-Overview:...
as the Hero of the Week, Fox News - The Honorable Order of CincinnatusSociety of the CincinnatiThe Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
- Hannity's America
- 2006
- Volvo For Life Awards, Semi-Finalist
- Featured as a guest speaker on Senator Bill Bradley's Sirius Satellite Radio Show, American Voices
- 2003
- International SERTOMASertomaSertoma Park is a park in Bismarck, North Dakota. Sertoma is on a three mile stretch of riverside plain on the Missouri River. The Lewis and Clark Riverboat docks at the park when it is not giving tours of the river where Lewis and Clark once were over 200 years ago...
, Service to Mankind Award - Tri-State/Regional, Ohio, & Powell SERTOMA, Service to Mankind Award
- American Profiles, Hometown Hero
- International SERTOMA
- 2002
- Miami UniversityMiami UniversityMiami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
, Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Temple Award for Creative Altruism from the Institute of Noetic Sciences
- Seventeen Magazine Community Service Grand Prize Winner
- Miami University
- 2001
- Family Circle Magazine, Halo Award
- Selected as a Giraffe by the Giraffe Heroes Project, as a person who all sticks their neck out for the common good
- 2000
- The American Institute for Public Service, Jefferson Award
- The Hitachi FoundationThe Hitachi FoundationThe Hitachi Foundation is an independent, nonprofit philanthropic organization founded in 1985 with an endowment from Hitachi, Ltd. Its stated purpose is to “improve the quality of life for economically isolated people in the United States and to help Hitachi learn how to better fulfill its...
's, Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the Community - Selected as a Paramount/UPN Network Millennium Mentor
- Recipient of the The Steak EscapeSteak EscapeSteak Escape is a restaurant based in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Locations are typically found in food courts in shopping malls as well as airports, all serving a variety of menu items including Cheesesteaks.-External links:*...
Curious Kid Grant
- 1999
- National Child Labor CommitteeNational Child Labor CommitteeThe National Child Labor Committee, or NCLC, is a private, non-profit organization in the United States that serves as a leading proponent for the national child labor reform movement...
, Lewis Hine Award - President's Service Award, The highest non-military award given to a US citizen for public service
- The Caring Institute, National Youth Caring Award
- Volunteer Ohio, Outstanding Youth Volunteer of the Year Award
- ReACT Take Action Award
- National Child Labor Committee
- 1998
- Freedoms Foundation, George Washington Honor Medal
- National Institute for Public Service Best Practice Model
- Appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of Oprah's Angels, in recognition of Grandma's Gifts
- 1997
- The Columbus DispatchThe Columbus DispatchThe Columbus Dispatch is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since The Columbus Citizen-Journal stopped printing in 1985....
's Community Service Award - WorthingtonWorthington, Ohio-Dissolution of the Company:By August 11, 1804 the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres of the Scioto Company's purchase...
Optimist Club Award Recipient - Columbus Parks and Recreation Kidspeak, Community Service Award
- The Columbus Dispatch
- 1996
- Prudential Spirit of Community Award, National Awardee
- PrudentialPrudential FinancialThe Prudential Insurance Company of America , also known as Prudential Financial, Inc., is a Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both retail and institutional customers throughout the...
Spirit of Community Award, State Awardee