West Tennessee Nonprofit Awarded National Recognition
When GoAbroad presented its annual awards recognizing innovation in international education on May 31 in New Orleans, LA, Global Citizen Adventure Corps (GCAC) claimed the award for Innovation in Philanthropy. Go Abroad is the leading search engine for study, volunteer, intern, teach and work abroad opportunities. The West Tennessee nonprofit GCAC, co-founded by Stacie Freeman of Dresden and Julie Hill of Union City, was represented by staff member Karen Campbell of Greenfield.
The award winners are selected by a prestigious and selective group of international educators known as the Innovation Awards Academy. Award recipients are announced each year during GoAbroad’s reception at the annual NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference. For 2024, the event took place at The Chicory in New Orleans.
In its summary of the event, GoAbroad noted, “These awards acknowledge institutions, organizations, and individuals moving the field forward, and commend leaders in the community for their efforts to go beyond the conventional.”
Other award winners are:
Innovative Technology -- University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), Navigating ReEntry Course; Innovation in Alumni Engagement -- The GREEN Program, Future Forward: Building a Sustainable Workforce through Alumni Engagement; Innovation in Diversity -- West Chester University & WorldStrides, Custom Program for D-CAP Students; Innovation in Sustainability -- CIS Abroad, Sustainability Efforts; Innovation in Marketing & Digital Media (Sponsored by Travolucion) -- SIT Study Abroad, Africa: See for Yourself; Innovative Volunteer Abroad Program -- Gili Shark Conservation, Research Assistant Program; Innovative Intern Abroad Program -- University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC), Khon Kaen Community Health Internships; Innovative Study Abroad Program -- Asia Exchange, Warmadewa Academy Program; Innovative TEFL / Teach Abroad Program -- International TEFL Academy, Teaching English Test Prep Skills Course; Innovative Student Video -- Sami Stidham & IES Abroad, “Take the Goggles Off”; and the People’s Choice (Sponsored by MedJet) -- International TEFL Academy.
GCAC’s Innovation in Philanthropy award was sponsored by the GoAbroad Foundation which also presented a Special 2024 Humanitarian Award to Kaseem Short, pastor of Thomas United Methodist Church in Kenner, LA, for his commitment to freedom of expression and social justice emphasizing unity, addressing systemic inequalities, and promoting understanding.
Freeman and Hill are currently in Italy with a GCAC program including 16 students and community members. Upon discovering GCAC, a nonprofit less than three years old, had claimed the recognition, they shared, “For almost 30 years, GoAbroad has helped students with an interest in travel and study abroad find the companies and organizations who can best fit those needs. We are honored to have been recognized by such a prestigious group for our efforts to remove some of the barriers preventing students from rural and economically disadvantaged areas from accessing the benefits of travel service learning.”
Global Citizen Adventure Corps is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating global citizens through education, service, and travel. By offering transferable college credit and donor-funded scholarships, GCAC actively builds pathways between rural high schools, universities, and a robust network of global nonprofit partners to provide travel program opportunities to underserved students. For more information visit www.globalcitizenadventurecorps.org.
