Ignite International Names First Recipient

of the Wynner of the Year Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Dallas, Texas]: On June 1, 2021, Ignite International, Inc. named Ms. Katie Phipps of Amarillo, Texas the 2021 Wynner of the Year Award recipient for her outstanding impact and inspiration. Her journey from wrongful incarceration to the discovery of purpose has been featured by Dateline NBC.

Ms. Phipps is the inaugural honoree of this award named after Coach Lori Wynn who passed away on April 17, 2020, after a four-year battle with cancer. A 26-year collegiate basketball coach, Lori also served on the Ignite International Board of Directors. An example of a life lived to its fullest, Lori Wynn embraced terminal illness with the determination to inspire others that they, too, can walk through extreme adversity with peace and with purpose. She reflected the grit and the grace of a “Wynner”.

Ignite International established the award to honor Lori’s legacy by celebrating an individual who has overcome hardship and actively uses their experience to positively impact the lives of others.

Our honoree, Ms. Katie Phipps, uses her journey through unrelenting trauma to inspire others toward healing. In addition to her work in the field of criminal defense, Ms. Phipps is the inspiration behind and co-leads Ignite’s newest initiative, Ignite U1, a program focused on helping teens and adults break the cycles of intergenerational trauma and ignite generational cycles of hope.

"It is an honor to have been selected for this award by Ignite as there are many whose stories never get told as mine has,” says Ms. Phipps. “I'm thankful for the platform to use my experiences for good by helping lead others to healing and purpose through Ignite U1."

“With enormous enthusiasm, I accept our team’s decision to honor Ms. Katie Phipps, whose highly exposed journey to the discovery of purpose inspires great hope,” says Judy Fox, Founder and President, Ignite International. “I can think of none who better reflects the essence of this award.”

Ignite International (est. 2003) exists to ignite generational cycles of hope one life at a time through the universal language of sport and through collaboration with a global network of sports federations, Olympic Committees, educational programs, social influencers, and values-based NGOs.

The national nomination process opens in January with the next honoree to be named at Ignite’s Night of Wynners in September 2022. Ms. Phipps’ award was announced via a Facebook Live event.

For more information, contact:
Judy Fox, Founder | President
Ignite International, Inc.
972.323.7970 office
jfox@igniteinternational.org

To read Ms. Phipps full bio and learn more about her inspiring work with Ignite U1 CLICK HERE.
To learn more about the Ignite International three-part plan to honor the legacy of Lori Wynn CLICK HERE.