KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Dec. 3, 2024) – The Pinnacle Prize is proud to recognize its 2024 winners, Mariya Goodbrake and Star Palmer. This annual $100,000 prize celebrates their extraordinary and ongoing commitment to serve the Kansas City community in profound and sustainable ways. 

The Pinnacle Prize was established in 2021 by the late Kenneth Baum and Ann Baum, a generous couple who grew up in Kansas City and have a long history of philanthropic support. They created The Pinnacle Prize to honor individuals, believing in the power of one person’s vision to spark collective change. 

Mariya Goodbrake is the founder and director of Global FC, a nonprofit founded in 2014 that supports Kansas City’s youth refugee community through sport. Mariya, who’s family was displaced from their home in Afghanistan and lived as refugees in Iran and India before securing their future in Canada through the United Nation’s resettlement program, moved to Kansas City in 2013. She was motivated to support refugee youth during a trip to a Jordan where she saw a vibrant, multi-cultural youth community centered around a common interest—soccer. Now, more than a decade later, Global FC is one of the region’s most diverse organizations, serving refugee youth from more than 29 countries around the world.  

Goodbrake has extensive experience in youth and sports development, diaspora communities, inter-faith dialogue, religious freedom, refugee resettlement, and intercultural training. She is also an active public speaker, human rights defender, intercultural trainer and researcher. Her work has received national and international awards, including the 2019 United Nations World Citizen of the Year for KC presented by Mayor Quinton Lucas. 

Star Palmer is the founder and executive director of Our Spot KC, a nonprofit founded in 2016 that provides housing, rental assistance and other support services to the LGBTQ+ community in the Kansas City area to create community, share experiences and find solace and support. Star is also the president of the Kansas City Pride Community Alliance, the organization that runs KC PrideFest and Parade. 

Our Spot KC serves the LGBTQ+ community through its flagship program, Lion House, providing transitional housing and rapid rehousing for LGBTQ+ youth, adults and families facing homelessness in the KC metro. In addition to Lion House, Our Spot KC publishes a quarterly magazine, provides training and technical assistance to businesses, nonprofits and municipalities to enhance their LGBTQ services, and a mobile LGBTQ+ small business incubator. One of fewer than five programs like it in the country, Our Spot KC has provided over 5,686 meals and 2,304 hours of life skills workshops to Kansas City LGBTQ+ individuals. 

“The transformative impact this year’s winners are having in our community is truly inspiring,” said Maurice Watson, spokesperson for The Pinnacle Prize. “Mariya and Star have each persevered through adversity and embody Kansas City’s vibrance and determined, ‘can do’ spirit. Aware of unmet needs of underserved individuals and communities, they are leading innovative initiatives to meet these needs. It is an honor to recognize them with the 2024 Pinnacle Prize.” 

Both winners will be featured on “The Pinnacle Pod,” a podcast series designed to dive deeper into the stories behind dynamic Kansas City leaders. For more about the great work happening in the Kansas City community, and to be notified of new podcast episodes, sign up for The Pinnacle Prize newsletter at pinnacleprizekc.org and follow The Pinnacle Prize on LinkedIn.