Celebrating Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion & Kindness

On April 4, 2026 we brought some of the boldest and most inspiring leaders – those who embody the spirit of the FECK Principles – together in Chicago at the Ritz-Carlton for an unforgettable live event celebrating the people and organizations driving meaningful change in their communities.

Here are our Inaugural FECK Award winners:

From left to right: Azim Khamisa (Forgiveness), Carla Knorowski, accepting for Melvin Parsons (Empathy), Chaz Ebert, Jayera Griffin (Compassion), David Luplow Jr. (Kindness)

FORGIVENESS

Azim Khamisa and the Tariq Khamisa Foundation (San Diego, California)

After his 20-year-old son Tariq Khamisa was tragically killed while delivering pizzas in 1995 by a 14-year-old gang member, Azim Khamisa made the extraordinary choice to forgive the teenage offender responsible. Out of unspeakable grief and despair, he was inspired to transform his loss through the miraculous power of forgiveness. Believing that there were “victims at both ends of the gun,” and instead of allowing grief to turn into hatred, Azim partnered with the young man’s grandfather, Ples Felix, to found the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, dedicated to stopping youth violence. For more than three decades, the organization has reached more than two million young people with programs promoting accountability, forgiveness, and nonviolence.

Honorable Mention: Judge Kathleen Coffey, Founder of the Homeless Court at Boston’s Pine Street Inn (Boston, MA)

Each month for 15 years before retiring in late 2025, Judge Coffey transformed a room at the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter into a courtroom where people experiencing homelessness, facing misdemeanors, nonviolent felonies, or default warrants, could come before her to be heard and have their cases adjudicated, allowing individuals to rebuild dignity and self-respect through employment, housing and other opportunities.

EMPATHY

Melvin Parson (Ypsilanti, Michigan)

Melvin Parson, founder of the We the People Growers Association and We the People Opportunity Farm – an urban farm dedicated to expanding access to fresh food while creating opportunity through agriculture, education and community empowerment – has transformed lives through his work on urban agriculture and second-chance employment. After experiencing incarceration, homelessness, and addiction earlier in life, he started learning more about gardening and farming, and began to think about creating a sustainable farming system that could support a workforce of formerly incarcerated men and women – he personally understood the power of second chances. Melvin built a program that created dignified jobs and workforce training through soil-changing opportunities, growing and selling fresh farm foods and creating the Good Soil Café. This helped formerly incarcerated individuals to foster understanding, opportunity, and healing while reducing recidivism. When we learned Melvin passed away shortly before the awards, we felt it was incredibly meaningful to still recognize his life and the impact of his work. We were honored to have Carla Knorowski, PhD (pictured here) from The Henry Ford, who nominated Melvin, join us to accept the award on his behalf.

Honorable Mention: The Cancer Cartel (Enumclaw, WA)

Founded by three remarkable cancer survivors, Cancer Cartel was born from their shared experience of fighting cancer and understanding firsthand the overwhelming financial burdens that come with it.

COMPASSION

Jayera Griffin (Riverdale, Illinois)

As an eighth-grader Jayera Griffin tutored younger children in her hometown, and noticed some of them were embarrassed by their dirty clothes. When she asked her mother about it, she was told some families weren’t as fortunate to be able to wash their clothes regularly. She began serving her community at just 14 years old by organizing free laundry days so students could have clean clothes for school. Now 22 and graduating from Western Illinois University in 2026 with plans to become an elementary school teacher, Jayera continues to lead initiatives that support and uplift her community, including organizing CPR and AED training for young people, collecting clothing for seniors, and organizing school supply drives and holiday programs for neighborhood families.

Honorable Mention: Michael Airhart, Founder of Taste for the Homeless (Chicago, IL)

Taste for the Homeless provides services to uplift homeless people and those living in shelters to become contributing citizens by providing hot food, clothing, hygiene items, and social services.

KINDNESS

David Luplow Jr. (South Elgin, Illinois)

David Luplow Jr., 35, demonstrates the profound impact that ONE person’s generosity can have. David was born with Down Syndrome, but despite the struggles he deals with, he is more concerned about helping others. Each year, he saves his earnings all year long to purchase toys for his local fire district’s Toys for Tots drive. In 2025 alone, he donated nearly 100 toys, inspiring an outpouring of additional donations from the community, taking things to a new level of giving. And at Rising Lights Project, a learning space for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, David is known for his quiet acts of kindness that inspire a ripple effect in the community.

Honorable Mention: Hector and Diane Corona, Founders of City Kids Camp (Chicago, IL)

City Kids Camp is a free summer camp for children from economically disadvantaged communities, allowing them to experience a true outdoor adventure in a peaceful environment.

Congratulations again to ALL the nominees and thank you to everyone who shared in this journey to make the inaugural FECK Awards a success!

From left to right: Yvonne McNair, Sonia Evans, Azim Khamisa, Carla Knorowski, Chaz Ebert, Jayera Griffin, David Luplow Jr., Robin Robinson