Новини / CCRDF held a special awards reception honoring the First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Accepts Lifetime Achievement Award from CCRDF

(New York City) On Monday, April 19th the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund held a special awards reception honoring the First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for her lifetime achievement in promoting women's and children's health.

Despite a harrowing schedule, the First Lady came to the Ukrainian Institute of America to accept the award in person and to express her enthusiastic support for the work of CCRDF.

Speaking to a capacity crowd, the First Lady praised CCRDF as a "remarkable organization that has set new standards for international development and humanitarian aid." "Many members of Congress and humanitarian experts at the State Department are amazed by how much CCRDF has accomplished with such a lean staff and such a modest budget," said Mrs. Clinton. "I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears the impact of your efforts."

The First Lady was presented with a 14-inch bronze sculpture of the "Berehynia" (the protectress), a traditional icon-like image of a mother holding a child with outstretched arms. In introducing the First Lady, CCRDF Executive Director Nadia Matkiwsky cited several verses from a poem by Maya Angelou entitled "Phenomenal Woman". She called Mrs. Clinton "a woman who stands on her own achievements, a woman of vision and compassion and intellectual strength...". Mrs. Matkiwsky thanked Mrs. Clinton for "reaching out to help the stricken children of Ukraine", noting that a nation without healthy children is a nation without a future.

Prior to the First Lady's arrival, film producer Fred Caruso, who served as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening introduced two other guests of honor: US Senator Frank Lautenberg and actor Alec Baldwin who gave an impassioned plea for more aid to the survivors of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

Mr. Baldwin, who is well known for his role in such popular films as "The Hunt for Red October" and "The Juror", called on the audience to recognize the global threat posed by the Chornobyl accident and to intensify their commitment to aid its victims. "Some of the health consequences of Chornobyl are well known and beyond dispute. Others are just becoming apparent...."

"I want to CHALLENGE the international medical community to come to Kiev. To come to Vinnytsia, to Chernihiv. To take a look at the babies lying in the neonatal intensive care units established by CCRDF. Look into the glare of the infant warmers and under the phototherapeutic lamps and see what kind of babies are being born in the aftermath of Chornobyl. Take a look in the orphanages and the pediatric cancer centers where children are being treated for tumors and conditions that are virtually unheard of in the West." - Alec Baldwin

At the conclusion of the program, the New York City based "Prolisok" Ukrainian girls' SUMA choir under the direction of Andrij Stasiw rendered several songs by Viktor Petrynenko and other modern composers in honor of the Chornobyl children. Mrs. Clinton commented on "the beautiful faces" of these young ladies and thanked them for their wonderful singing.
CCRDF is thankful to all the patrons, guests and volunteers who helped to make this one of our most successful fundraisers ever. The evening program enabled us to raise over $90,000 for our medical mission. The program was cited in a number of news publications, including USA Today, the New York Daily News, Associated Press and the Kiev Post.

For more information visit the Brama, Ukrainian Community Press Releases.