Eagles President Joe Banner To Receive City Year Lifetime Award

Philadelphia Chapter Of City Year Honors Banner With Its Lifetime Of Idealism Award

The Philadelphia chapter of City Year tonight will honor Eagles President JOE BANNER with its Lifetime of Idealism Award, which "puts Banner in high-powered company," as City Year Chicago in '06 presented PRESIDENT OBAMA with the award and City Year N.Y. later this month will honor former PRESIDENT CLINTON, according to Valerie Russ of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. About 900 attendees are expected at Philadelphia's Crystal Tea Room for the sold-out dinner for Banner, who has a "long history of community service." City Year Founder & CEO MICHAEL BROWN said Banner has the "extraordinary empathy to feel what other people feel" and an "extreme sense of social justice." Russ noted Banner is "generally a quiet man who shuns the spotlight, except when he is in the news for the Eagles." Brown: "He's an incredible combination of extreme humility and the perseverance of steel." Banner said that attitudes in the U.S. are "changing toward idealism and volunteering." Banner: "One of the indicators that we've made a lot of progress is that when you start talking in an idealist and optimistic way, the funny looks are declining." Banner added, "You can't stand up with a small goal and expect people to follow you. ... Nobody is going to follow you if you're not leading with passion" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 5/11).