Wings of Hope Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

It’d be easy to brag about a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, but Doug Clements isn’t.

The president of calls the nomination humbling. He said Wings of Hope is a quiet charity and that there are others out there that are more deserving of the honor. Still, it’s a nod to the organization’s more than 2,500 volunteers worldwide, he said, that work to provide medical transportation, health care and relief in 42 countries.

“This is a great tribute to our volunteers and donors in the St. Louis area,” Clements said. The volunteers, he said, work very hard and are almost like a family. He mentioned donors Boeing, Anheuser-Busch and Monsanto specifically.

Clements said he’s known there was a chance the charity would be put up for the award for about six months. The nomination process is secretive. The identity of the Nobel Committee’s approved nominator who put them up for the award can’t be revealed, but Clements said the person is not from St. Louis and learned about the charity through contacts in Western Europe.

From here, Clements said, the Nobel Committee reviews the nominees and begins its own evaluation. Nobel Laureates are selected in October. According to the Nobel Prize website, anywhere between 250 and 300 nominations are put forth each year. In 2010, 237 nominations, the highest ever, were submitted.

Typically, nominations are kept secret. In fact, names of nominees are not formally revealed until 50 years after they have been nominated. Once they got official word that they were up for the award, Clements said he let the charity’s board of directors know. Beyond that, though, he can’t publicize it.

“It’s an honor to be nominated, and we’re certainly hopeful we’ll win,” he said.