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                  NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:  May 2012

www.amyfound.org

Contact:           James Russell, President  (517) 323-6233 or

                         Mary Spagnuolo

                         The Amy Foundation

                         P.O. Box 16091

                         Lansing, MI  48901

The Amy Foundation Awards $34,000 to 15 Writers — First Prize of $10,000 to Christina Ryan Claypool for article in The Lima (OH) News

LANSING, MI—Christina Ryan Claypool is the $10,000 first-prize winner of the 27th annual 2011 Amy Writing Award.  Mrs. Claypool is a Christian speaker, freelance journalist, and the author of several books including Seeds of Hope for Survivors.  Christina has a B. A. in Business Administration from Bluffton University, and an M.A. in Ministry from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, where she served as an adjunct instructor in the Communications department. She has been featured on national television on CBN’s 700 Club and on Joyce Meyer Ministries. Contact her through her website at www.christinaryanclaypool.com.

Her winning article, “Finding Forgiveness” revolves around the Henderson family’s struggle to cope with the loss of a loved one and to forgive the murderer – a man well-known to the victim and her family.  Biblical teaching, which sustains members of the family and community, is woven through the article.  This includes the Lord’s Prayer “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” and “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding…”  Members of the family and community are clearly at different stages of forgiveness, but hope is provided through their biblical background and knowledge.

As winner of the Amy Writing Awards $10,000 first prize, Christina Ryan Claypool joins a growing list of authors who for 27 years have shown how a compelling presentation of biblical truth applied to the serious issues of life earns a legitimate place in mainstream print journalism.

The Amy Foundation will present the $10,000 first prize to Mrs. Claypool at the 2012 annual Michigan Prayer Breakfast, Wednesday, May 16, in Lansing. This first prize presentation will be the Amy Foundation’s celebration of the 27th anniversary of the Amy Writing Awards.

The Amy Writing Awards program encourages writers to apply biblical principles to contemporary issues. Articles considered for awards must appear in mainstream print or online news publications and include at least one Bible quotation. The 2011 winning entries were selected from over 700 submissions published in the mainstream media (print and online) last year.

Other 2011 award winners are:

“Greater Than Willpower” by Alicea L. Jones (Georgetown View Magazine;  Georgetown, TX; 11/1/2011) $5,000.00 Second Prize

“How Unemployment Can Be Rewarding” by Kendall Wingrove (www.americandaily.com; 11/30/2011) $4,000.00 Third Prize

“Warming Center Puts Life in Perspective” by Shelley L. Houston (The Register-Guard;  Eugene, OR; 3/12/2011) $3,000.00 Fourth Prize

“Living Love” by Leah Shearer (www.americandaily.com; 8/9/2011) $2,000.00 Fifth Prize

“Reveling in Present Puts Suffering In Its Place” by Delvyn Case (Portland Press Herald;  Portland, ME; 3/12/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“Mickey Cohen and His Twistian Faith” by Robert Michaels (The Benicia Herald;  Benicia, CA; 9/1/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“Ricky, Don't Lose His Number” by Tom Flannery (The Carbondale News;  Carbondale, PA; 1/26/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“What's Love Got To Do With It?” by Steve Cornell (Sunday News;  Lancaster, PA; 2/13/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“Is Jesus A Liberal Or A Conservative?'” by Richard Lee Foster (Camden News;  Camden, AR; 9/16/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“Evangelism:  The Latest Cool Thing” by Taryn R. Hutchison (The News Herald;  Morganton, NC;  11/4/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“A Father's Answer” by Diana Keathley (2012 Edition of The Arizona Literary Magazine, published in the Fall of 2011;  Chandler, AZ) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“Sounds Like A Plan” by Rachel Coleman (Leader & Times;  Liberal, KS; 1/2/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“Keeping Success in Perspective” by Dr. Michael Helms (The Paper;  Montgomery, AL; 6/14/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

“Evangelicals' Image Problem” by Rusty Wright (www.americandaily.us; 8/11/2011) $1,000.00 Award of Outstanding Merit

Copies of the winning entries are available upon request or can be reviewed on our website (www.amyfound.org). Entries for the 2012 Amy Awards competition should be submitted to the Amy Writing Awards, P.O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901, and be postmarked by January 31, 2013.

The Amy Foundation believes the historic value system of Western Civilization springs from the Judeo-Christian ethic and must be preserved to ensure a strong America. In addition to the Amy Writing Awards, the Foundation sponsors the Amy Syndicate (www.amyfound.org) and the Church Writing Group Ministry. It also publishes and distributes the Discipled Nation Plan Curriculum.

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