Local entrepreneur and unsung hero Jimmy Pierce will be recognized for his work as executive director of Kids Making It (KMI) with the esteemed Albert Schweitzer Honors Scholar award 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010 Lumina Theater in the Fisher Student Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. This event is open to media, but not the general public.

KMI is a unique program founded by Pierce that empowers at-risk youth through engineering and art. Youth are taught woodworking, confidence, teamwork skills and self-esteem in a strong mentoring environment. Students keep 100 percent of the profits when one of their products is sold to the public at the KMI retail store on Water Street in downtown Wilmington.

The Albert Schweitzer Honors Scholar award is given annually by the UNCW Honors Scholars Program and Randall Library to a person from the Cape Fear region who exemplifies the attributes or interests of Albert Schweitzer. Each Scholar delivers a lecture to the freshman honors seminar and is recognized for his or her contributions to the region at the annual program and reception.

Pierce, an eastern North Carolina native, founded Kids Making It as a pilot program in 1994. In 1996, he left his law practice and launched KMI fulltime within the Jervay public housing property.

The Albert Schweitzer International Prizes, awarded on the UNCW campus from 1973 to 1993, were individuals recognized for significant contributions in the areas on music, medicine or the humanities. The annual Albert Schweitzer Honors Scholar, an extension of the original International Prize, is chosen by students and faculty in the Honors Program based on his or her contributions in one of these areas.

Media Contact:
Joy Davis, Marketing and Communications, 910.632.3903 or davisjc@uncw.edu