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PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The members of the Rev. Leon H.
Sullivan Humanitarian Award Committee today announced that the inaugural
"Sullivan Award," which is a global recognition named in honor of the late,
visionary clergyman and civil rights leader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
will be presented to Paul Rusesabagina, whose story of life-saving heroism was
profiled in the critically acclaimed film, Hotel Rwanda. The event will be
held at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel, here, from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm, on
February 19, 2006.
According to Sullivan Award Committee Chair Mildred F. Johnson, the award
will be presented annually to a recipient who demonstrates visionary
leadership, a self-help humanitarian philosophy, and a passion for educating
youth. Honorary co-chairs for the Award Committee include Rev. Thomas Ritter,
co-founder of Opportunities Industrialization Centers, Rev. James A. Moore,
President, Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, and Mrs. Grace B.
Sullivan, Rev. Sullivans wife.
The award will be presented to Mr. Rusesabagina by Pennsylvania Governor
Edward G. Rendell.
As part of the program, Mr. Rusesabagina will present the first Sullivan
Distinguished Lecture. The event will also feature an historical art exhibit
and concert by the Zion Combined Choir, commemorating the life of Rev.
Sullivan.
Mr. Rusesabagina, who now resides in Belgium, was the Rwandan hotel
general manager who was instrumental in saving the lives of 1,200 people
during the infamous 100-day-long genocide in Rwanda that took place in 1994.
The 2005 recipient of the White House Presidential Medal of Honor for
Humanity, Rusesabagina lectures extensively throughout the world, sharing his
"Lessons Learned" from Rwanda. He has also established the Hotel Rwanda
Rusesabagina Foundation (HRRF) to assist in educating the orphaned children of
Rwanda.
Also scheduled to be recognized at the event will be the Philadelphia-
based Tasty Baking Company, which was the target of a "selective patronage"
boycott led by Rev. Sullivan in 1962. Following subsequent dialogue and
interaction with Rev. Sullivan, Tasty Baking Company launched a comprehensive
program of community outreach, minority hiring and community economic
development, which continues through today, under the companys CEO, Charles
Pizzi.
In addition, a third award, for community service, will be presented to
Jim Reed, Director of External Affairs and Public Relations at Verizon, who
has represented the company and its predecessor, Bell of Pennsylvania, for
more than 40 years.
For tickets or additional information, please contact Mildred F. Johnson
at (215) 223-5465.
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