Hotel Rwanda's Paul Rusesabagina to Receive First Rev. Leon Sullivan Humanitarian Award

Hotel Rwanda's Paul Rusesabagina to Receive First Rev. Leon Sullivan Humanitarian Award

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. Sullivan's 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 company's 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.

Source: Rev. Leon H. Sullivan Humanitarian Award Committee

CONTACT: A. Bruce Crawley, +1-215-922-7184, crawley-haskins@att.net, for
the Rev. Leon H. Sullivan Humanitarian Award Committee

-------
Profile: intent