"He is a very impressive young man and a top example of a student who is inspired to be empowered to change the community."
That's what Dr. William H.
Kimball, president of the Northern New York Community Foundation, has to say about Connor Brown.
The 17-year-old high school senior in Watertown, NY, is the first recipient of the foundation's Heroes of Democracy Award, which honors students who "identify a problem involving something they are passionate about in their school, community, or world, and propose a nonviolent solution that adheres to the concepts of collaboration and compromise based on verifiable facts," per a press release.
Brown's idea was to install a hygiene vending machine at his school to help students in Jefferson County who may be "less fortunate," per a release.
He secured materials for the machine at no cost, and National Honor Society students will keep it stocked with items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, and feminine hygiene products.
"Over the course of eight months, Connor saw an opportunity to provide essential hygiene products in a convenient and discreet manner," says the release.
He plans to install similar machines at two other schools.
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Getting Out and Staying Out, co-founded by Tony Smith of the VSA Consulting Group, works to reduce recidivism rate among men at Rikers Island, New York City. The recidivism rate significantly dropped from 60-plus percent to under 20 percent, with more than a thousand men over a span of  eight years.