The Caring Institute is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the principles of caring, integrity, and public service. The Caring Institute was created in 1985 in response to Mother Teresa’s directive to the Caring Institute’s founder concerning the poverty of the spirit in developed countries and the need to harness the power of caring.
The Caring Institute searches the world for corporations and individuals of all ages who help those on the fringes of life, honors them with a Caring Award where their efforts can inspire, and educates others to emulate their actions.
The Caring Institute encourages young people to build a more caring world by providing college scholarship funds to young adults who exemplify a profound sense of character and who have made great contributions to society at a young age. The Caring Institute believes the solution to most problems lies in the love, understanding, and caring of one human being for another. Simply put, the Caring Institute celebrates the human spirit and encourages others to harness the power of caring.
Source: Caring Institute
Fred Matser
Netherlands
1992 Adult Award Winner International Caring Award
Fred Matser is a businessman, philanthropist, and humanitarian whose life’s work is to help create a more functional society through inspiration and empowerment.
He was born to a Dutch family of modest means and grew up in the frugal post-war environment. When in his early twenties, he took charge of the family business at the request of his ailing father. Under his leadership, it became one of the largest independent real estate development companies in The Netherlands at that time.
Later he retired from the business to volunteer with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Switzerland, where he headed the Child Alive Program for developing countries. The initiative helped reduce childhood mortality due to diarrhea-induced dehydration.
Matser watched two of his brothers pass away and his father struggle with Parkinson’s disease. These family tragedies – plus his direct contact with suffering throughout the world – led him to develop a strong sense of compassion.
Starting in 1983, this inspired him to found or co-found over 15 foundations that span the fields of health care, the environment, peace, and global transformation. Matser has also established The Twinkling Eyes Club and invites all the world’s inhabitants to join.
He is now spearheading the Dutch campaign for “Malaria No More” as part of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals to meet the needs of the world’s poor. Matser enjoys giving lectures and is preparing a book for publication in 2008.
For more information about him and his endeavors, see www.fredfoundation.org and www.fredmatser.com.
