From the Union League Club of Chicago
WHO:
Mario Cuomo, former (1983-94) governor of New York, will keynote the Union League Club of Chicago’s 122nd celebration of George Washington’s birthday;
Nina Owen, president, Union League Club of Chicago;
Thomas S. Palmen, chair, Public Affairs, Union League Club of Chicago;
Three Chicago-area high school students honored with Club’s “Democracy in Action” awards for exemplary leadership in citizenship:
WHEN:
Friday, February 13, 2009
Union League Club of Chicago, 65 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago
4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Gov. Cuomo Media Availability
5:30 p.m. Photo opportunity with students, Gov. Cuomo, ULCC leadership
6:00 p.m. General Reception
7:00 p.m. Dinner -- Soldiers of the Illinois National Guard 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat team, commanded by Brigadier General Steven Huber, will greet the audience and lead the Pledge of Allegiance in a videotaped message from Kabul, Afghanistan
9:00 p.m. – Gov. Cuomo address
Gov. Cuomo’s address will focus on a comparison of the significant challenges of the Lincoln and Obama presidencies. Lincoln , he suggests, focused on the key issue of his political career and of the day—slavery. “If he had failed,” Gov. Cuomo asserts, “ America would have been scared, slavery extended and the Union fractured.”
Obama, as the leader of a dominant superpower in a far different world from the one in which Lincoln served, faces scores of critical issues. “If his presidency should fail,” Cuomo warns, “there could be unprecedented global damage. But his success could lead the nation and the world into a new period of enlightenment and progress.”
(Full text available: Dick Barry Union League Club Media Relations 312-607-5888)
Union League Club of Chicago Democracy in Action Awardees
Andrew Boyd, 18, of La Grange Park , a senior at Lyons Township High School earned a first place $ 2,000 award. Boyd, who organized a student voter registration drive and mock election, is cited for his “zeal, creativity, leadership and initiative in stimulating student awareness of what it means to be an active citizen.” He also facilitated a local radio station’s election night coverage. Boyd plans to pursue a communications degree either at Indiana University of Marquette University.
Ethan Barhydt, 18, a senior at Deerfield High School who resides in the same community, earned a second place $ 1,500 award. Barhydt is recognized by his teachers as being “among the most visionary, committed and empathetic young people of his generation.” He created award-winning programming for a variety of human rights causes. He is the voice for the Darfur movement in Chicago . Barhydt plans to defer college for a year to do service work in eastern Africa and then pursue studies in global issues.
Antwan Ward, 17, a senior at Orr Academy High School who resides in the Austin community in Chicago , earned third place award and a $1,000 prize. Ward was cited by his teachers for his leadership in stimulating students to become involved in grass roots issues such as reduction of school violence. He plans to study communications in college.
BACKGROUND:
Illinois high school junior and senor students nominated by their teachers and advisors are recognized by the Union League Club of Chicago’s Public Affairs Committee with the “Democracy in Action” award for “dedication to democratic principles, leadership and participation in civic programs that demonstrate exemplary citizenship values.” The students earn cash prizes and awards.
Union League Club of Chicago —focused on patriotism since 1879
Established in 1879, The Union League Club of Chicago is dedicated to its motto, “commitment to community and country.” Through its membership, the Club has played a leadership role in numerous important social, civic and cultural issues. Club Leader Forum recently ranked the Union League Club as the best city club in Chicago .
Among the many contributions Club members have made to civic life are:
Significant roles in planning the World Columbian Exhibition of 1893 and establishing the Art Institute of Chicago, Orchestra Hall, the Auditorium Theatre, Field Museum and other cultural institutions;
Formation of the Chicago Crime Commission and the Armed Forces Council of Chicago;
Organization of a campaign to permit electronic voting devices in Illinois;
Mobilization of community interest in the Constitutional Convention of 1969-70 that resulted in the adoption of the current Illinois State Constitution;
Establishment of the Harold Washington Library Center , the largest public library building in the world, in downtown Chicago;
The Union League Club of Chicago began marking George Washington’s Birthday with a patriotic celebration in 1887. Initially the event was organized in response to the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in which seven Chicago policemen were killed in the line of duty allegedly by anarchists. By 1890, patriotic speeches to schoolchildren became part of the annual Washington’s Birthday celebration. The Club sponsored large public events for thousands of school children who assembled at the Auditorium Theatre and other venues to hear such prominent Americans as Theodore Roosevelt and Jane Addams.
In recent years, the annual event recalls the nation’s traditional values and ideals by honoring America ’s first president at a gala event and lauding the young Democracy in Action winners for their inspiration, leadership and accomplishments. This is Union League Club of Chicago’s 122nd celebration of George Washington’s birthday.
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