Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, May 7th, Refugees International (RI) will host its 30th Anniversary Dinner, honoring Ted Turner with the 2009 McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award. Mr. Turner will be recognized for his inspiring commitment to humanitarian issues, including the establishment of the United Nations Foundation and the creation of CNN, which is renowned for bringing humanitarian crises to light. Currently, the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign has teamed up with the UN Refugee Agency to protect refugees from malaria, the number one killer of refugees in Africa. Former RI Board Member, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke will present Mr. Turner with this prestigious award, and Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent, will interview Mr. Turner during the program.

Senator Sam Brownback and Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey will also be honored with Refugees International’s Congressional Leadership Award for their long-standing leadership and commitment to protecting refugees. Oscar-nominated actor and Board Member, Sam Waterston, will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event.

The McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award honors those who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and commitment to humanitarian action. The award was created in memory of David and Penny McCall and Yvette Pierpaoli, who died during an RI mission to Albania in 1999.  Past recipients include Kofi and Nane Annan, Ambassador John Danforth, Julia Taft, Lord Mark and Lady Malloch Brown and Mia and Ronan Farrow.

WHEN: Thursday, May 7, 2009
              VIP Reception at 6:00 pm
              General Reception at 7:00 pm
              Dinner and program at 7:30 pm

WHERE: The Embassy of Italy
                 3000 Whitehaven Street, NW
                 Washington, DC 20008

TICKETS: Ellie Stamatopoulos 
                  +1(202) 540-7027
                  Ellie@refugeesinternational.org

MEDIA INQUIRIES: 
Vanessa Parra +1(202) 540-7025
Vanessa@refugeesinternational.org

Refugees International advocates for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises.  The organization was founded in 1979 to advocate for U.S. protection for Vietnamese boat people, refugees from the killing fields of Cambodia, and Laotian freedom fighters. For more information, go to: http://www.refugeesinternational.org/anniversary-dinner.


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