St. Louis-based Wings of Hope describes itself as a "non-sectarian, non-racial, non-political" organization on its website. It is, however, aNobel Peace Prize nominee for 2011.
Doug Clements, the organization's president, was notified about the nomination last week, according to a press release.
"This is a great honor to all of our volunteers and donors," Clements said in the release, "They are the ones who see the humanity of our fellow men and who seek to extend the hand of human kindness to them."
The Peace Prize is awarded by a committee of five, chosen by the Norwegian body. A short list will be compiled by the end of March, with the Laureate selected by late fall, the release states.
So what does Wings of Hope do? Well, this is how they describe it on their website:
"Wings of Hope is a recognized international resource. We specialize in implementing Poverty Reduction Strategies for a defined region. This is accomplished by establishing a base of operations and partnering with the poor being served. The services at each base are customized depending upon the needs of the region.
The common denominator is always health care and a transportation system, typically a small bush airplane....Other programs and services are implemented as partnerships are strengthened."
Their website also says that they will "accept no donations from the federal government."
Wings of Hope was formed in 1962. The release also states that their domestic and international programs assist over one million people annually.