Public Interest Registry (PIR), the People behind .ORG, today named Kayla Abramowitz of Kayla Cares 4 Kids as the winner of the 2020 .ORG Impact Award for Outstanding Volunteer. 

Kayla is the Founder and CKO (Chief Kid Officer) of Kayla Cares 4 Kids, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in North Palm Beach, Florida. Kayla began the organization at age 11, by collecting entertainment and educational items to donate to children’s hospitals nationwide in an effort to help sick children feel better.

Since 2013, Kayla Cares 4 Kids has donated over 28,000 items to more than 450 children’s hospitals, Ronald McDonald Houses and related medical facilities in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Now 18 years old, Kayla is a freshman majoring in public advocacy at the University of Miami.  She came up with the idea after extended hospital stays of her own. Kayla has Crohn’s Disease, Juvenile Arthritis, and Eosinophilic Colitis, while her youngest brother, Ethan, has Juvenile Arthritis and Eosinophilic Esophagitis. For more information, please visit kaylacares4kids.org.

Kayla will receive a $5,000 USD donation to Kayla Cares 4 Kids or another eligible charity of her choice and will be honored as part of the “10 Days of .ORG” online experience that celebrates achievements that have healed, inspired, transformed, and connected communities over the past year.  Each day of the 10-day celebration places a spotlight on award-winning organizations and individuals making our communities a better place.

“There is nothing that I am more passionate about than helping kids and families through a difficult period in their life,” said Kayla Abramowitz, Founder of Kayla Cares 4 Kids. “I’m honored to be recognized for my work with Kayla Cares 4 Kids.  After my own experiences in hospitals, I saw that books and DVDs can bring kids so much happiness when they are going through a tough time. So, I made it my mission to do all I can to help other kids.”

“Congratulations to Kayla for her work to help kids and families in need,” said Jon Nevett, President and CEO of the Public Interest Registry.  “Her efforts bring joy to children around the country, and we are proud to recognize and support them.  Kayla is a true inspiration and is making her community a better place, even at an early age.”

This year, PIR saw an extremely impressive group of submissions showcasing the diverse and inspiring work taking place in the .ORG Community. Thank you to everyone who participated in the .ORG Impact Awards.

More than 500 organizations and individuals submitted entries for the 2020 .ORG Impact Awards. Submissions were reviewed and scored by a panel of judges who are leaders in the Internet, non-profit, and marketing sectors. All nominations were required to be tied to an active website with a .ORG domain. 

Award winners will receive a donation of up to $30,000 USD to an eligible charitable entity of their choice.  Please visit www.orgimpactawards.org for complete rules and information.

10 Days of .ORG Schedule

Day One: Combating Coronavirus	Monday, November 30th
Day Two: Promoting Education	Tuesday, December 1st
Day Three: Outstanding Volunteer	Wednesday, December 2nd
Day Four: Championing Equality, Equity and Inclusion	Thursday, December 3rd
Day Five: Innovation	Friday, December 4th
Day Six: Advancing Environmental Sustainability	Monday, December 7th
Day Seven: .ORG Newcomer of the Year	Tuesday, December 8th
Day Eight: Fighting Hunger and Poverty	Wednesday, December 9th
Day Nine: Promoting a Safer Internet	Thursday, December 10th
Day Ten: .ORG of the Year	Friday, December 11th

About Kayla Cares 4 Kids
The mission for Kayla Cares 4 Kids is to help sick kids feel better by providing entertainment and educational items to medical facilities and supporting organizations nationwide. To date, Kayla Cares 4 Kids has donated more than 28,000 items, including DVDs, books, game consoles, video games, DVD players, handheld electronics, games, puzzles, and arts and crafts, to 450 children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

About .ORG
.ORG is the original purpose-driven “generic” top-level domain (gTLD) with more than 10 million domain names registered worldwide. .ORG is open to everyone, providing a global platform for organizations, associations, clubs, businesses and individuals to bring their ideas to life. For more than 30 years, .ORG has built an enduring legacy of trust, preserving an open and secure Internet where diverse communities can establish a trusted online identity and freely share ideas. .ORG is powered by the non-profit Public Interest Registry (PIR). PIR has been a champion for a free and open Internet for more than 15 years with a clear mission to be an exemplary domain name registry, provide a trusted digital identity and help educate those who dedicate themselves to improving our world. PIR was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA. Visit www.TheNew.org for more information.

Source: https://www.thecentralvirginian.com/news/state/kayla-abramowitz-of-kayla-cares-4-kids-named-winner-of-the-2020-org-impact-awards/article_6c77ab8f-c260-59a2-8132-ccbc456b00b0.html