Bridge Builders Award

Allan Kullen, President, People of America Foundation, & Founder, Americans All, Bob Knight, Former Mayor, Wichita, Kansas and the Dedicated Employees of Todd Allan Printing for working toward racial reconciliation around the nation by designing, advocating and supporting programs that promote understanding of the ties that connect us, regardless of diverse backgrounds.

People of America Foundation was created in 1995 by Allan S. Kullen to promote Americans All®, a national social sciences curriculum that teaches democratic principles through the voices of the immigrants who built the United States.  It aims to help students understand the social and economic value of America's diversity and to build bridges between all races, cultures, and social backgrounds.  When Bob Knight was introduced to the program as Mayor of Wichita, the issue of racial reconciliation was one of his top priorities. He noted that while other programs were mostly confronting the issue after racism was entrenched, Americans All® was attacking the problem at its source in Wichita, engaging youth early in the political history of the country through the experiences of immigrant groups. 

Now, as Senior Consultant to the People of America Foundation, Bob Knight is working with Allan Kullen to make it as easy as possible for those stories to be heard throughout the United States. The employees of Todd Allan Printing donate their time and resources to ensure that the curriculum materials and other resources like bi-weekly newsletters are available to all students. The staff provides support through editorial assistance, design, layout, web site assistance, and printing of materials.  The foundation also provides staff development resources and state-specific data that can be used to broaden and customize the curriculum for districts.  The foundation is also bringing educators together, creating a forum and community network where teachers can share lesson plans and share experiences.

With No Child Left Behind legislation focusing on advancing basic math and reading, Allan Kullen, Bob Knight, and the dedicated employees of Todd Allan Printing Company work to ensure that the history and diversity of America is not forgotten or overlooked. With their passion and commitment, the foundation will continue to fight racism and intolerance by expanding their outreach past the 2,000 schools and libraries that already use the program into social science classrooms across the country.