Marie-Therese Connolly wins MacArthur Genius Grant

September 21st, 2011 - 6:28 pm ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt  

Washington, Sept 21 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Former Department of Justice lawyer Marie-Therese Connolly has been named as a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur grant. On Tuesday, it was announced that Connolly will be receiving the genius grant of half a million dollars. The organizers of the award say there are no strings attached to the amount given to the recipients.

Ahead of the official event which was held on Tuesday, Connolly told reporters that, “I was shocked that the problem is so invisible. There is so much opportunity for change, and I can’t think of another issue that affects so many people and where less is being done.”

The award was in recognition to Connolly’s dedication to the cause of the elderly. She has been involved in caring for the elderly for years and she introduced the Elder Justice Act which became a law in the United States last year. She dropped her job with the Justice Department in 2007 and concentrated on fighting for the cause of the elderly.

Connolly said it wouldn’t have been proper to embark on her campaign while she was still an employee of the Justice Department that is why she quit.

There were several other recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship on Tuesday.

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