The GQ Better Men Better World Search - polls close October 7, 2009 Vote Now!

Photo: The Gentlemen's Ball 2009

GQ has asked readers to nominate an agent of change striving for the betterment of society through charitable work, volunteerism, and/or community involvement—someone who is working hard to make this a better world.

GQ selected the five best submissions as finalists and readers have to determined the potential winner by popular vote.

The Winner Will:

• Be featured in the pages of GQ
• Be honored at The Gentlemen’s Ball in New York City on Wednesday, October 28, 2009
• Have $10,000 donated toward the accredited charity of his/her choice
• Receive $2,000 cash & $1,000 Nautica® gift card

Below are the five finalists of the 2009 Better Men Better World Search. Which one of these extraordinary individuals do you think should be honored as this year’s Better Man? Vote by October 7, 2009. Help GQ honor the person who deserves it most.

Murray Fisher - has dedicated his life to the environment and education. His greatest and proudest achievement is the New York Harbor School, a public New York City high school he started at the age of 28. Murray comes from a family of organic farmers outside Richmond, Virginia. Clearly influenced by his upbringing, after college Murray went directly to work for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at Waterkeeper Alliance, a worldwide environmental organization. For four years he was responsible starting 60 new Waterkeeper programs.

John Piano - has dedicated the last 6 years of his life to making the world a better place - to help increase lives saved and improved through organ, tissue and eye transplantation. But he’s not a surgeon or healthcare administrator or politician - instead, he’s a creative entrepreneur who has built modernized electronic medical records software for the transplant field.

Barton Brooks– his remarkable story begins near the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, where a chance encounter with a half dozen orphaned kids opened a new chapter for many, many lives. Back home, finding no avenues for sending help, Barton took matters into his own hands and established a grass roots non profit volunteer organization, Global Colors. He funded it through the sale of his prized possession, a Shelby Cobra sports car that he and his brother built completely by hand. Within six months, he teamed with UCLA and returned to that jungle orphanage with school supplies, medicine, soccer balls, and tons of hope.

Ethan Zohn - is the ultimate survivor and change maker. He is the curly-haired professional soccer player who won the hearts of Survivor fans and took home the competition’s $1-million prize in 2002. After graduating from Vassar College Ethan intended to enroll in medical school, but his athletic ability led him into a six-year career as a professional soccer player. It was during his time playing for a pro team in the Zimbabwe Premier League that Ethan’s eyes were opened to a beleaguered continent and the massive HIV/AIDS pandemic. When some of his friends and teammates died from the disease, lonely, ostracized from their own communities, and shunned by society, Ethan knew something had to be done.

Nic Lumpp - is a real hero and a true gentleman - especially to the girls rescued from sexual slavery in Cambodia. It all started when Nic watched a story about human rights activist Somaly Mam on Anderson Cooper. He was disturbed by what he saw happening to girls and young women in Southeast Asia. The experience inspired him and a friend to travel to Cambodia to meet Somaly and see firsthand how she is working to combat sexual slavery in her own country and across the world.

Ambassadors for the Gentleman’s Fund include, Mark Wahlberg, Ashton Kutcher and Adrian Grenier.

For more information on how to vote, tickets to the Gentlemen’s Ball and how to donate visit “The Gentlemen’s Fund 2009”

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GQ Gentlemen's Ball 2008

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