WASHINGTON, D.C. — Karamo, the out gay author, activist, and former Queer Eye culture expert, will host this year’s .ORG Impact Awards, where dozens of people and organizations will be recognized for their work to improve communities around the world.
The eighth annual awards ceremony will take place Oct. 6 in Washington, D.C., and is being presented by the Public Interest Registry, the organization behind the .ORG domain.
Karamo will announce finalists and winners across seven categories recognizing work in areas including community building, education, environmental stewardship, health and healing, hunger and poverty, and the “Rising Star” category, which recognizes leaders under 30.
This year’s awards will recognize 35 individuals and organizations whose work is making a difference in their communities.
Among the finalists are Native Forward Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to Native students; Unchained At Last, a survivor-led organization working to end child marriage in the United States; and Boys Champions Foundation, which works to promote caring masculinity, mental health, and gender equality among boys and men in Nigeria.
Each finalist will receive a $2,500 donation, while the organization selected as .ORG of the Year will have the opportunity to receive a $50,000 prize. Winners in the other categories will receive $10,000.
For Karamo, the event is an opportunity to highlight people whose work often happens without much recognition.
“Some of the most powerful change in the world starts with people who choose to show up for their communities every single day, often without recognition or fanfare,” Karamo said. “The .ORG Impact Awards shine a light on these incredible individuals and organizations.”
Karamo has spent much of his career doing that kind of community work himself.
In addition to his time on Queer Eye, he founded The Talented Twelve, a philanthropic fund that provides scholarships, grants, and other financial assistance to African American high school graduates and first-year college students.
He also co-founded 6in10, an organization focused on HIV education and support for the Black LGBTQ+ community. Karamo has volunteered as a youth counselor at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Black Justice Coalition as a health and wellness ambassador.
His work with the LGBTQ+ community has made him a familiar advocate beyond television, using his platform to address health, education, and issues affecting communities of color.
The .ORG Impact Awards will bring that work together with the stories of dozens of other people working to make a difference, giving Karamo the opportunity to celebrate the people behind some of that change.
Photos courtesy of social media
