While I hope we never go down the road of the entertainment industry and have 20 awards shows, the following partnership sounds like it will provide the proper recognition to the many folks out there doing great work, including All Start Helping Kids itself.  Please note that voting ends Nov. 15.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Ronnie Lott, NFL Hall of Famer and founder of All Stars Helping Kids, is pleased to announce a landmark partnership with the Jefferson Awards for Public Service to recognize top athletes who have given back to their community. Past recipients of Jefferson Awards for Public Service include, Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Lance Armstrong and Bill and Melinda Gates.

Over the last few months, teams and leagues from across the sports world nominated 53 athletes who have a proven track record of community outreach as well as those that are just getting started, but possess a sincere passion for service. Thanks to AT&T, fans can vote for their favorite nominee by text message or online by going to allstarshelpingkids.org/teammates/index.html. Voting ends November 15th. The nominees include soccer star Mia Hamm, the New Jersey Nets’ Devin Harris, the Baltimore Ravens Ray Lewis, the Phoenix Suns Steve Nash, Olympian and AVP star Kerri Walsh, and tennis star Venus Williams amongst others. The full list of nominees appears below.

“One thing these nominees have in common is a passion for looking beyond their sport. They’re stretching themselves- driven to succeed in their community as well as in competition,” Lott said. “I encourage people to read about these men and women and follow their examples.”

From this group, five (5) finalists will be chosen in each of two (2) categories: Outstanding Athlete in Service and Outstanding Athlete as a Newcomer in Service. One athlete in each category will be awarded a national Jefferson Award for Public Service.

On December 8, 2009, ten (10) athletes will win spots on the “Dream Team for Public Service” at the All Stars Helping Kids’ Sports, Business & Philanthropy Luncheon. In June 2010, the ten (10) “Dream Team” members will be invited to attend the Jefferson Awards National Ceremony in Washington, D.C., where two (2) winners will receive the prestigious Jefferson Awards for Public Service in the categories of Outstanding Athlete in Service and Outstanding Athlete as a Newcomer in Service. Additionally, the nominee with the most online and text votes will be the winner of the AT&T Fan Favorite Award.

The press release continues at http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/all-stars-helping-kids-announces-world-class-field-of-star-athletes-nominated-for-jefferson-award-for-public-service-64205357.html)