On June 22, 2017, Fred and Cora Reed accepted the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award at the Jefferson Awards Foundation’s national ceremony in Washington, D.C. It is a specific milestone in the founders’ record of community service.
The 2017 Jefferson Awards recognition
Getty Images’ editorial record of the ceremony identifies Fred and Cora Reed accepting the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award from Ray Chew at the Capital Hilton on June 22, 2017. Reed’s Refuge’s own archive also records its Jefferson Awards recognition. The photographs preserve a national ceremony milestone for the founders, whose work with children and families had already taken shape over many years.
The service behind the milestone
The Reed family’s service history began before Reed’s Refuge Center was founded in 2012. Cora began an in-home childcare program in 1997, and the family opened Ribbons & Bows Learning Center in 2005. The Our Story page follows that history and explains the arts-centered mission that developed from it. Music, media, academic support and mentoring are practical expressions of the founders’ commitment to children and families in Wilmington. The award belongs within that longer story of building places to learn and create.
Families, young people, volunteers and partners are part of the community Reed’s Refuge serves.
Understanding the work today
An award documents a past milestone; current programs show how a mission is carried forward. Explore Reed’s Refuge’s programs for its youth arts, education and life-skills work, and the Impact page for the organization’s priorities and community connections. The News & Media archive offers further coverage and photographs. If you would like to volunteer, share a professional skill or discuss a partnership, Get Involved explains the ways to make contact.