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Josef Cooper Changemaker Award

The Joe Cooper Changemaker Award is given to alumni who model the change-making spirit embodied by Joe Cooper throughout his life. Any CDS alum is eligible to receive the Changemaker Award as an acknowledgment of their work to continue the legacy of action instilled in CDS students.

Joe and his wife, Tracy, were the leaders of a group of parents, trustees, and educators who founded Children’s Day School as a non-profit to nourish and celebrate diversity and promote justice and respect for all people. Joe had a life-long commitment to student activism and it is this commitment to action the CDS community wishes to celebrate and instill in future generations of CDS students.

The entire community wishes to express our gratitude for Joe's support and for the mark he left at CDS. We have established a Joe Cooper Memorial Fund to continue the spirit of Joe's generosity to the school, and you can provide a gift in Joe's honor on our Donations page.

Joe's obituary can be viewed here: Josef Deen Cooper

Josef Cooper Changemaker Award & Grant

In honor of Joe, CDS has established the Joe Cooper Changemaker Award and Grant, an annual award with the following objectives:
  • To honor Joe’s deep commitment to CDS and celebrate his life of changemaking for students. 
  • To encourage CDS students and alumni(ae) to continue to notice where they can make a difference in the world and then create concrete plans to take action.
  • To celebrate the roots of change-making established at CDS and manifested in our students and alumni(ae).
For more information about the award, please see this page
Children's Day School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.  Learn More