WASHINGTON, DC - Former President Bill Clinton will receive the Service to America Leadership Award from the NAB Education Foundation June 12 at the eighth annual Service to America Gala. The Leadership Award is one of NABEF's highest honors, given to individuals who have performed extraordinary public service in bettering the lives of others.
"President Clinton has dedicated his life to public service in the role of Governor, President, and now as a tireless leader in global humanitarian relief efforts," said NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr. "The NAB Education Foundation is proud to honor him for his service to the United States and to the world."
William Jefferson Clinton, who became the first Democrat to earn a second Presidential term since Franklin D. Roosevelt six decades earlier, served from 1992 to 2000. During his Presidency, the U.S. enjoyed the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. Following his presidency, President Clinton has led countless humanitarian initiatives, spearheading fundraising and relief efforts for victims of both Hurricane Katrina and the Southeast Asian tsunami. President Clinton has also made the elimination of HIV/AIDS a priority, and has raised millions of dollars for the treatment and prevention of the disease.
After leaving office, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation focusing on four areas: health security, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS; economic empowerment; leadership, development and citizen service; and racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation. The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative has recently expanded to provide HIV/AIDS medications to children and persons in rural areas around the globe. For his work on HIV/AIDS, President Clinton was honored with the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health and Humankind from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and the 2005 Pasteur Foundation Award.
Following the Southeast Asian tsunami, President George W. Bush asked former Presidents Bush and Clinton to lead a nationwide fundraising effort to help bring much-needed relief to victims of the disaster. The former Presidents traveled to Asia to witness the devastation and reconstruction efforts firsthand, generating growing awareness for the cause. In March 2005, President Clinton was named Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In addition to his global humanitarian efforts, President Clinton served as Co-Chair of the Families of Freedom Fund with Senator Bob Dole, which raised more than $100 million in scholarship money for families of those killed or injured during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, President Clinton again teamed with President George H.W. Bush in developing the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, providing grants for recovery needs to areas devastated by the storm.
Recent recipients of the Service to America Leadership Award include Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, First Lady Laura Bush, 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.
The Service to America Awards are sponsored and produced by NABEF with major support from Bonneville International Corporation and the National Association of Broadcasters. Details about the Service to America Awards Gala are available at www.nabef.org.
Founded in 1964, Bonneville operates 28 radio stations in the Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, St. Louis, and Salt Lake City markets, as well as KSL-TV (NBC affiliate) in Salt Lake City. Bonneville's motto is "Do good, do well, make a difference, and have fun." In addition to competing aggressively in major market broadcasting, Bonneville has a nationally recognized tradition of commitment to community. Its three-fold business model is founded on building its people, serving its communities, and achieving aggressive financial goals.
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 other timely broadcasting issues.
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association that advocates on behalf of more than 8,300 free, local radio and television stations and also broadcast networks before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Courts. Information about NAB can be found at www.nab.org.
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