Shine a Light Award
Swarthmore Centennial Foundation’s Award for Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion
The Swarthmore Centennial Foundation recognizes a person or organization who has made Swarthmore a more diverse, inclusive and equitable place to work, learn, do business, or live. The award honors a member of the Swarthmore community who has demonstrated compassion, perseverance, courage, and leadership by engaging in the important work of fostering human dignity and our common humanity.¹ The honoree will be recognized at a community celebration and receive an award of $2500.
Check back in spring 2027 to make a nomination for the 2027 award. Email info@centennial.foundation with any questions about the award program.
Eligibility: This award is not limited to Swarthmore residents; anyone who lives, works, attends school, volunteers, or otherwise contributes to the Borough is eligible to be nominated or to submit a nomination. We welcome and encourage letters from all members of the community and evaluate nominees based on their contributions to the community, not the prose of the letter writers.
¹ Text adapted from Dartmouth College’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Social Justice Award.
2026 Shine a Light Award Winner Pat Francher
The Swarthmore Centennial Foundation recognized Pat Francher with the Shine a Light Award in 2026 for his work to foster inclusion and build pathways for people to meet on level ground. From helping to drive the Swarthmore21 movement to energize restaurants and meeting places in Town Center to diversifying the vendors and musicians at the Farmers Market, Pat’s “goal for tomorrow is one step beyond.” Read about it in The Swarthmorean.
In 2025, the Swarthmore Centennial Foundation was honored to shine a light on artist, activist for LGBTQ+ rights, Gallery on Park owner, and community leader Martha Perkins. The award celebrates Ms. Perkins’s multifaceted efforts to bridge gaps, build connections, and create beacons of hope, acceptance, and inclusion through art.
The 2024 Shine A Light Award was awarded to Jennifer Kennedy, outgoing 3rd grade teacher at Swarthmore Rutledge School. Ms. Kennedy has advocated for children’s needs, brought diverse perspectives into the classroom, and elevated issues of equity, inclusion, and social justice throughout the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.
In 2023, the Shine A Light Award was presented to Dr. John Alston. Dr. Alston is the Founder and Executive and Artistic Director of The Chester Children’s Chorus (CCC). Dr. Alston’s artistic passions and understanding of social change anchors the CCC, but the path was not always obvious.
Sara Kelly received the Shine a Light Award for 2022 on Sunday, September 18. As Executive Director of Swarthmore Recreation Association (SRA), Ms. Kelly has placed inclusion at the core of the organization’s mission. Like the name of her award, her energy is truly electrifying.
The inaugural award honored Jeannine Osayande on August 12, 2021 during Swarthmore’s “Nights in the Ville.” Ms. Osayande is pictured receiving the award along with her sisters, Donna and Annette. Said Ms. Osayande upon receiving the award, “On behalf of our family, on behalf of our ancestors, on behalf of our community, I want to thank all of you.”
Nominate a Person or Organization for the 2023 Shine a Light Award
The Swarthmore Centennial Foundation will accept nominations for our next award in the spring of 2024. We seek nominees and letters of recommendations from any members of the Swarthmore community, including but not limited to those who work, attend school, volunteer, or live in the Borough. In other words, this award is not limited to Swarthmore residents. The Swarthmore Centennial Foundation welcomes and encourages letters from all members of the community and looks to evaluate the nominees based on contributions to the community, not the prose of the letter writers.
Award: The award of $2500 will be given directly to the recipient.