The Rado Unlimited Spirit Awards this week will honor the innovative and inspirational people who challenge definitions and boundaries through their art, work and philanthropic initiatives. This fall, Rado will present the Unlimited Spirit Award to three outstanding individuals who embody true Unlimited Spirit – actress and activist Maria Bello; architect and environmentalist David Hertz; and director, writer and producer Paul Haggis.
RADO’s Unlimited Spirit Awards will be presented on September 16th at a private event in Los Angeles, to the following cultural visionaries:
- Maria Bello, (Actress/Activist): With powerhouse turns in critically acclaimed films such as The Cooler and A History of Violence, audiences are well acquainted with Bello’s on-screen tenacity – but to learn that the actor’s passion translates off screen as a social justice activist for women’s causes is an unveiling of her true spirit. Bello gives a “voice to the voiceless” through her work with the Haitian organization Femmes En Democratie – a chapter of Vital Voices Global Partnership, whose mission is to expand the roles of Haitian women in generating economic opportunities, increasing political participation and protecting human rights.
- David Hertz, (Architect/Environmentalist): David Hertz has continually challenged the status quo by making it his mission to rethink and re-imagine the impact buildings have on the environment. His current project is his most ambitious to date – repurposing a Boeing 747 into a home – Hertz is most inspired by his beyond-sustainable vision for the future: “To create a building that contributes back to the health of the planet.” David gives his time to EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof), a nonprofit that addresses the unrepresented hundreds of thousands of homeless people amongst us by providing short-term, immediate mobile shelter units to those living on the streets; and the Go Campaign, a movement that improves the lives of orphans and vulnerable children throughout the world by partnering with local, grassroots organizations that provide children in need with the care and services they require.
- Paul Haggis (Filmmaker/Champion): Whether writer-director-producer Paul Haggis is tackling the messiness of life in screenplays such as the Oscar winners Crash and Million Dollar Baby, or advocating for the children of Haiti, authenticity is his objective. His next film, the thriller The Next Three Days, hits theatres in November. Paul is also the founder of Artists for Peace and Justice, a fundraising effort that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty and enfranchisement in communities around the world. The organization’s immediate goal is to build schools to serve the poorest areas of Haiti.
This summer, Rado held a design competition through www.radostar.com, an online destination for designers and creatives to share and view work with an international community, to find an artist to create the Rado Unlimited Spirit Award. This year’s contest winner was 30-year-old Tatu Vuorio, an artist from Finland, whose design captured the true essence of Rado Unlimited Spirit and will be presented to Maria Bello, David Hertz and Paul Haggis.
