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Purpose Prize

Marc Freedman Portrait

The Latest from CoGenerate

Event Recording: Book Talk: Cogeneration in the Age of AI

Event Recording: Book Talk: Cogeneration in the Age of AI

Simple question: Do you miss human connection when you use self-checkout at the grocery store? Complex question: How is cogeneration threatened by AI, profit-driven “efficiencies,” and automation — and what can we do about it? Allison Pugh, author of the book The Last...

Putting Two Things Together

Putting Two Things Together

On Friday, May 15, I had the great honor to address the 2026 graduates of Drew University, including the undergraduate College of Liberal Arts, the Theological School, and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. I'm very grateful to Drew's remarkable President...

Introducing the CoGen Voices Fellows

Introducing the CoGen Voices Fellows

Across the country, young people and older people are stepping up as civic leaders. But too often, they do this critical work with peers, in age-segregated spaces. Young people work without the benefit of older generations who bring lived experience, networks, and a...

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Bob Jonas

Wild Gift
Purpose Prize Fellow 2007

Inspiring a new generation of leaders dedicated to sustainable human communities and lifestyles.

When Bob Jonas sold his outfitting and guiding business in Sun Valley, Idaho, at age 60, he turned his passion for wild nature into a new career. He founded The Wild Gift, a nonprofit helping to ensure that communities and individuals build futures characterized by a commitment to the stewardship of nature and secure in the hands of an inspired new generation of leaders who are dedicated to sustainable human communities and lifestyles. Jonas’s philosophy: If the initiatives of outstanding new leaders are supported and they participate in a powerful deep-wilderness experience, they will remain committed to environmental design and implement a human enterprise that is in harmony with nature. The Wild Gift program helps launch ‘better world’ entrepreneurs, US citizens between the ages of 21 and 30, whose work – during personal careers that will span a half century or more – will impact social, environmental, economic and political spheres both in the US and internationally. The 17-month learning opportunity includes a 20 day trek in America’s biggest wilderness lands along with one year of project mentoring and financial support. The diverse projects undertaken include the founding of a successful for-profit solar construction firm in Ladakh, India, establishing a profitable, environmentally friendly demonstration farm in the Ozarks of Arkansas, and reducing the operating costs of affordable housing projects in Boston using green building retrofit techniques.