WASHINGTON, DC -- Entertainment industry icon Quincy Jones will receive the Celebration of Service to America Leadership Award from the NAB Education Foundation at the tenth annual Celebration of Service to America Gala on June 9. The Leadership Award, NABEF's highest honor, is presented to an individual who has performed extraordinary public service in bettering the lives of others.
Jones is being recognized for his humanitarian work in establishing the Listen Up Foundation and the We Are the Future Foundation, both dedicated to helping underprivileged youth. He has also served as a committed leader in preserving and promoting African-American art through the Institute for Black American Music and the Black Arts Festival.
"For decades, Quincy Jones has served as a tireless advocate on behalf of underprivileged children throughout the world," said NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr. "The NAB Education Foundation is proud to honor him for his unwavering dedication to building a pathway toward a better future for all children in need."
Inspired by events from his own childhood, Jones founded the Listen Up Foundation in 1991 to connect impoverished children with education, music and culture. In 2004, Jones helped launch We Are the Future to build youth centers in poor and war-torn countries. Both projects have successfully served underprivileged children throughout the world, exposing them to new opportunities and a more positive future.
Born Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. in Chicago in 1933, Jones began his career as a trumpeter with the legendary bandleader Lionel Hampton. Among his many accolades and honors, Jones has received 27 Grammy Awards and has a record 79 Grammy Award nominations. He produced two all-time best-sellers: Michael Jackson's album entitled "Thriller," which sold 104 million copies worldwide, and "We Are the World," the all-time best-selling single, which raised money for Ethiopian famine relief.
Jones' significant achievements have earned him recognition from a variety of institutions. He was the first African-American producer to be nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Picture for The Color Purple, as well as the first to win the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. In 2000, Harvard University endowed the Quincy Jones Professorship of Afro-American Music. Shortly thereafter, in 2001, Jones received the prestigious French Legion d'Honneur medal.
About
The Celebration of Service to America Awards
The Celebration of Service to America Awards are sponsored and produced
by NABEF with major support from Bonneville International Corp. and the
National Association of Broadcasters. In recent years, legendary rock
star Sir Elton John, former President Bill Clinton, First Lady Laura Bush,
Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani,
boxing legend Muhammad Ali, former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady
Rosalyn Carter, and former First Lady Nancy Reagan have been presented
with the Celebration of Service to America Leadership Award at the event.
Details about the Celebration of Service to America Awards are available
at www.nabef.org/ServicetoAmerica.
About
Bonneville International Corp.
Founded in 1964, Bonneville International’s heritage traces its early
roots to KSL Radio, which first went on the air in July of 1922 (originally
as KZN) in Salt Lake City and to KSL-TV, which had its on-air debut in
1949. Bonneville currently owns and operates 31 radio stations in the
Chicago, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Phoenix, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and
Salt Lake City markets, as well as KSL 5 Television (NBC affiliate) in
Salt Lake City. The company’s working motto is “Do good, do
well, make a difference, and have fun,” and it structures its innovative
and successful business model on the three principles of 1) building its
people, 2) making a difference in its communities, and 3) meeting aggressive
financial goals. Bonneville enjoys a long-standing reputation and is known
industry-wide for its values-oriented programming and its nationally recognized
and award-winning commitment to serving the communities where it broadcasts.
About
NABEF
The NAB Education Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to
serving the public interest in supporting and advocating: education and
training programs, strategies to increase diversity, initiatives stressing
the importance of the First Amendment, community service, philanthropy
and timely broadcasting issues.
About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.
