Outstanding Citizen Achievement Citation
American Mom Lauded For Work with Romanian Street Children, Families
New York, NY - Leslie Hawke was honored Monday evening, January 10, 2005, by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) at an Outstanding Citizen Achievement Citation ceremony in the Rosenthal Pavilion at New York University's Helen & Martin Kimmel Center for University Life. Ms. Hawke was recognized by the Bureau for Europe & Eurasia for her work with Roma street children and their families in Bacau and Bucharest, Romania.
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| Leslie Hawke |
A native New Yorker, Ms. Hawke now resides in Romania where she is the founder and administrator of the Ovidiu Rom Association, which operates innovative programs that offer Roma street children and their families the educational, employment and social support needed to break the cycle of marginalization and poverty. As a direct result of her efforts over the past five years, hundreds of at-risk families have developed the capabilities and confidence to successfully transition from crisis to stable, self-sufficiency.
The ceremony program included remarks from The Honorable J.D. Crouch II, U.S. Ambassador to Romania, The Honorable Sorin Ducaru, Romanian Ambassador to the U.S., and Ms. Hawke's son, Ethan, the Academy Award-nominated actor, author and director. Mr. Hawke also provided the voice for a short film sponsored by USAID in tribute to his mother's work, which premiered at the event.
Other featured speakers were Maria Gheorghiu, Executive Director of Ms. Hawke's Romania-based organization, George McDonald, Founder and President of The Doe Fund, a New York nonprofit that provided the service model on which Hawke's initiatives are based, and Dr. Deborah Harding, a noted expert on Roma affairs.
Dr. Kent R. Hill, USAID Assistant Administrator for Europe & Eurasia delivered the keynote address.
Ms. Hawke attended a screening of the tribute film for USAID senior staff in Washington, DC on Thursday, January 13, 2005 and was formally presented with the Outstanding Citizen Achievement Citation by Administrator Andrew Natsios.
For more information on Ms. Hawke's work in Romania, visit her organization's web site at http://www.alexfund.org.
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