Blinded American Veterans Foundation Hosts 19th Annual Congressional Awards Ceremony

6/10/2004

From: John Fales of the Blinded American Veterans Foundation, 202-257-5446

News Advisory:

The Blinded American Veterans Foundation (BAVF) will hold its 19th Annual Congressional Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, June 15, 2004, in Room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The annual event, held in conjunction with the Foundation's Flag Day observance, honors Members of Congress, the media, and volunteers.

"This is a special time of year for the Foundation," said BAVF president John Fales of Silver Spring, MD, "for it centers around the day our country pays tribute to the American flag. It gives us the opportunity to honor those in Congress and the media who have helped the millions of men and women who were willing to put their lives on the line in defense of our flag and for all it stands, as well as to thank some of the many, many volunteers who have helped the Foundation since its beginning."

Recipients of the 2004 George "Buck" Gillispie Congressional Award for Meritorious Service are U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (Hawaii) and Rep. Walter B. Jones (North Carolina). The award is named in honor of the blinded World War II veteran who devoted more than 40 years toward efforts to aid in the rehabilitation of visually impaired veterans.

The Carlton Sherwood Media Award, named in honor of the Pulitzer and Peabody Award-winning journalist and highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, will be awarded to Allison Seymour, morning co-anchor of FOX 5 News, Washington, D.C., and George Skypeck, the military-historical commemorative artist and poet.

This year's recipients of the George Alexander Memorial Award for Volunteer Service are John F. Ciak, L.S.W., coordinator of Visual Impairment Services at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Pittsburgh, PA, and Donald Thorson, former federal executive and vice president of the Thorson Foundation. The Foundation's Corporate Volunteer Award will be presented to the MCVET, Message of Hope Choir.

John Hanchette, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter formerly with Gannett News Service, will be Master of Ceremonies for the event.

The BAVF will hold its 19th Annual Flag Week picnic on Sunday, June 13, 2004, in Silver Spring, MD. Flags that have been flown over the Capitol will be presented to many of the invited guests. Former U.S. Representative Connie Morella (Maryland's 8th Congressional District) and her husband, Tony, will be on hand to greet guests and sample the famous hot dogs prepared by the gregarious Chef Lakis, who recently retired from operating his cart at the corner of 18th and K Streets, N.W.

The Blinded American Veterans Foundation assists blinded and sensory-disabled veterans in attaining their full potential through research, rehabilitation, and re-employment. It offers employment networking and rehabilitation and resource counseling, and provides funding for rehabilitation centers. Other programs include a speaker's bureau, placement services, and compilation of related statistics. It also conducts research, educational, and charitable programs. This valuable service is performed strictly with volunteers and without a paid staff.