2008 Ellis Island Medals of Honor

From: NECO – National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations
Contact: Miller Ryan Media Relations
Lonni Miller,
973/686-3660/lonnimiller@aol.com <mailto:973/686-3660/lonnimiller@aol.com>
PR ESS RELEASE

Harut Sassounian to Receive
2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Glendale, California (May 4, 2008) – Harut Sassounian, the President of the
United Armenian Fund, Senior Vice President of the Lincy Foundation, and
publisher of The California Courier, will be among this year’s recipients of
the Ellis Island Medal of Honor given by the National Ethnic Coalition of
Organizations (NECO) on May 10th in New York City. The Ellis Island Medal
of Honor is awarded to outstanding Americans who have distinguished
themselves as citizens of the United States and have helped enable their
ancestry groups to maintain their identities while becoming integral parts
of American life.
This year’s recipients include Harut Sassounian, former U.S. Senator Ben
Nighthorse Campbell; Gen. Duncan J. McNabb – U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of
Staff; Human Rights Activist and Genocide Survivor Advocate Jacqueline
Murekatete; Country Entertainer Randy Owen; NYT-best-selling author and
health expert Dr. Mehmet Oz; Pittsburg Steelers Owner Dan Rooney; Actor and
Founder of `Operation Iraqi Children’ Gary Sinse; and WWII Veteran,
Olympian, and Motivational Speaker Louis Zamperini. They will receive their
awards at the annual ceremony filled with patriotic pageantry at Ellis
Island. A gala reception will follow in Ellis Island’s Great Hall. The
evening’s events will be capped by a spectacular fireworks display in New
York Harbor.
`To be included among such remarkable Americans who have devoted their lives
to the preservation of America’s freedoms as well as their ethnic heritage
is a very deeply touching and moving honor,’ Sassounian says. `I am proud
to be a citizen of the United States, a country where people from all over
the world come and blend together in a larger society while keeping their
unique backgrounds.’
As President of the United Armenian Fund (U.A.F.), a coalition of the seven
largest Armenian-American charitable and religious organizations, Sassounian
has coordinated the procurement, delivery, and distribution of over $500
million of humanitarian assistance to Armenia since 1988’s devastating
earthquake.
Sassounian also serves as the Senior Vice President of Kirk Kerkorian’s
Lincy Foundation, where he has overseen the implementation of over $200
million of infrastructure-related projects in Armenia, as well as a $20
million loan program to small- and medium-size businesses.
In addition to his positions at U.A.F. and the Lincy Foundation, he
volunteers his time and expertise serving on the Leadership Council of the
University of Southern California’s Institute of Armenian Studies and the
Board of Directors of Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena.
A former non-governmental delegate on human rights at the United Nations in
Geneva, Switzerland, he played a leading role in the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and has also served on the Community Advisory Board of Los
Angeles PBS station KCET-TV.
Sassounian is the publisher of The California Courier, a weekly newspaper
based in Glendale, California. An author and documentary producer, his
commentary has a world-wide audience.
The 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients participated in a
first-of-its-kind project that partnered NECO with Zentangle, Inc. founders
Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas to create an actual mosaic that links each
medalist to one another and serves as a visual metaphor that illustrates how
each medalist’s qualities contribute to the collective American mosaic. To
view `Our American Mosaic,’ created by the Medalists and their families, go
to <; .
Established in 1986 by NECO, the Ellis Island Medals of Honor pay tribute to
the ancestry groups that comprise America’s unique cultural mosaic. To
date, more than 1,000 American citizens, including former Presidents Bill
Clinton, George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard
Nixon; Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Rehnquist; Muhammad
Ali; Rosa Parks; Elie Wiesel; Frank Sinatra; Bob Hope; Her Excellency
Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the 61st Session of the UN
General Assembly; and Quincy Jones, have received medals.
Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients are selected each year through a
national nomination process. Screening committees from NECO’s member
organizations select the final nominees, who are then considered by the
Board of Directors. Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have
officially passed resolutions recognizing the Ellis Island Medals of Honor,
which ranks among this country’s most prestigious awards. Each year, Ellis
Island Medal of Honor recipients are listed in the Congressional Record,
honoring those who have made enduring contributions to our nation and to the
world.
NECO’s mission is to create the world of the future today, by honoring our
diverse past, advocating for positive change in the present, and building
strong leaders for the future. The foundation partners with a wide variety
of organizations, both national and international. NECO continues its
long-standing commitment to Ellis Island, supporting the ongoing restoration
of its educational facilities.
For a full list of the 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Awardees, go to
<; .
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress