Khaleel Atiyyeh '10, Joanne Chickering '12 and Patricia Green '10 have been awarded -- with their community partners -- 2009 Robert S. Smith Awards for Community Progress and Innovation.

The awards support partnerships between grassroots community leaders and area college students to jointly plan and carry out innovative community-building projects that strengthen Tompkins County communities. Recipients receive grants of up to $3,000 to help carry out their projects.

Specifically,

The Belle Sherman Wellness Initiative and Downtown Play Group for Young Children and their Grown-Ups were the other proposals funded.

The Robert S. Smith Award solicits project ideas and visions from "everyday" community leaders with good ideas and commitment; special priority is given to teams that include leadership from communities of color, immigrant communities and/or low- and moderate-income communities.

Established in 1994 by a $100,000 grant from Tompkins Trust Co., the award is named for the late Robert S. Smith, former bank chairman and W.I. Myers Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance at Cornell. It is now administered by Cornell Cooperative Extension-Tompkins County.

"I'm always impressed by the passion, commitment and ideas of the many 'everyday' leaders throughout Tompkins County," said CCE-Tompkins Executive Director Kenneth Schlather. "While we could only provide a monetary grant to some, we will look for other ways to help all interested applicants turn their ideas into action."