Golden Goody Award presented to Ian Somerhalder at Social Good Summit

On the 92Y rooftop in Manhattan, Actor and Activist Ian Somerhalder (Vampire Diaries) accepted our top award, a Golden Goody Award (our top humanitarian award). After speaking on a RYOT News Panel at the Social Good Summit, we surprised Ian with this award based on a request from his Ian Somerhalder Foundation team to keep it a secret (not easy.)

This special award is a result of Ian’s loyal fans voting for him on Twitter from over 20 countries. Ian and his Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF) have won #HeroGoody #EcoGoody and #TeamGoody of the Month (twice), and now he is receiving this top honor.

Ian accepted this social good award in this video interview by thanking his fans, “Thank you guys so much. This is an incredible honor, and I will try to keep it up.” When asked about the power of youth and social media, Ian added, “Ultimately using social media as the tool,… that empowerment leads to activation, it leads to collaboration, and ultimately it will lead to quantifiable change.”

In a HuffPostLive interview, Ian was congratulated for his Golden Goody Award, and emphasized, “It’s not about me, it’s about what I represent.” And we are proud to honor someone who is a “Force for Good.”

A loyal fan nominated Ian Somerhalder for this lifetime achievement award, “I nominate Ian for a Golden Goody Award both as an actor and an inspiring individual who is making this world a better place, through his foundation, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF).” The Goody Awards has been looking for the perfect time to present this award, and the Social Good Summit seemed like a perfect match.

Ian’s passions are green energy, environmental conservation and animal rights. Through his foundation, he encourages youth to get involved and take positive action. A native from New Orleans, Ian Somerhalder started ISF after the BP Oil Spill to empower youth to do green projects. ISF is a non-profit organization promoting animal rights and environmental causes. Along with ISF, Ian Somerhalder was one of the founders of Go Green Mobile Power, a sustainable portable energy company.

Goody Awards Founder Liz H Kelly presented their top award. She explained, “We’ve never seen so many enthusiastic fans tweeting awards for their hero . The tweets are so authentic, and humbling to read.” Ian is now leading Eco Goody of the Year, in second place for Hero Goody of the Year, and ISF is leading Team Goody of the Year. Some of the tweets have included:

Some of the inspirational ISF projects for youth have included The Green Your Thirst Campaign and Plastic Straws Can Suck it Campaign. The Green Thirst Campaign included a ban on the sales of plastic bottles on campuses nationally, and The Plastic Straws Can Suck it Campaign helped ban plastic straws around beaches and lakes.

Because the Goody Awards’ mission is to inspire positive change by recognizing good in the world, it was an honor to present this top award to Ian and reinforce the power of taking action. Congratulations Ian, and thank you to all the fans that voted for Ian and take positive action to make the planet a better place everyday! Follow @IanSomerhalder @IS_Foundation and @RYOTNews.

© Goody Awards 2013