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Presidential Citizens Medal Recipient Sister Carol Coston OP
Sister Coston receiving Citizens Medal from President Bill Clinton
President Clinton has awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, our nation's second highest civilian honor, to Sister Carol Coston, OP, Loan Fund Director of Partners for the Common Good 2000 (PCG 2000) and a founder of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby.
The award was bestowed at a White House ceremony on Monday, January 8, 2001. Other recipients included Henry "Hank" Aaron, Ruby Bridges, Archibald Cox, Juan Andrade Jr., Dr. David Ho, Elizabeth Taylorand Muhammad Ali.
When presenting the award to Sister Coston, the first Catholic nun to ever receive it, President Clinton said, "When Pope John the 23rd urged Catholics to engage in the world and address the needs of the poor, Sister Carol Coston, an Adrian Dominican nun, answered the call. She left the security of her convent to live and work in a public housing project. Then she helped to create NETWORK, a national Catholic lobby that has mobilized thousands of nuns and lay people to fight for social progress in South Africa, for women's rights and for economic justice. She helped to win passage of the Community Reinvestment Act, which has led to billions of dollars in investment in our inner cities. I am proud to say, Sister, 95 percent of it, in the last eight years. And she founded Partners for the Common Good, a fund that invests in housing and entrepreneurship in low income neighborhoods. For your work as an agent of change, rooted in the values of your faith, Sister Carol, a grateful nation honors you today."
Attending the ceremony were members of her religious congregation, the Adrian Dominicans and Francis G Coleman, Vice President of Socially Responsible Investing for Christian Brothers Investment Services, Inc.
In noting that she may be the first woman religious to receive this honor, Mr. Coleman said, "It is really a fitting tribute to her work and years of dedicated service to those most in need. It is appropriate that she is getting national recognition for that service. We at CBIS and PCG are honored and proud to be working with her."
Carol Coston, an Adrian Dominican Sister, was one of 47 Sisterswho founded NETWORK in December 1971. NETWORK educates, lobbies and organizes for federal policies that are rooted in social and economic justice. Today, NETWORK is supported by more than 11,000 groups and individuals representing many faith traditions.
After leaving NETWORK, Sister Coston went on to play a pioneering role in the alternative investment movement. She is currently director of Partners for the Common Good 2000, which has a lending pool of more than $8 million that supports women- and minority-owned micro-enterprises, low-cost housing, and community development programs.
Partners for the Common Good 2000 is an alternative loan fund operated by Christian Brothers Investment Services, Inc (CBIS), an investment advisory firm for Catholic institutional investors, managing $2.6 billion.
----Source material and photo provided by Network, a Catholic Social Justice Lobby http://www.networklobby.org
CITATION:
A tireless advocate for the poor and oppressed, Sister Carol Coston has worked with faith and vision to shape public policy that reflects Christian values. From promoting human rights and social justice to helping bring economic development to low-income areas, Sister Carol Coston has used her creative leadership and moral compass to build a more just society in America and around the world.
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Citizens Medal History
