NEW YORK | Seeds of Peace will be honoring Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister of Israel and Chairman of the Labor Party, on December 8, 2003.
Special honored guests will also include Palestinian Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, Leader of the People’s Campaign for Peace and Democracy and President of Al-Quds University, Nick Scheele, President and COO of Ford Motor Company, and Senator Carl Levin. The Mosaic Singers from the Mosaic Youth Theater of Detroit will also be performing.
The third annual Seeds of Peace Michigan Friends Chapter Gala will present the John P. Wallach Peacemaker Award to Peres and include a special presentation from Dr. Nusseibeh.
Scheele will receive the Seeds of Peace Community Leadership Award and Levin will receive the Congressional Leadership Award. Aaron David Miller, President of Seeds of Peace, along with Israeli and Palestinian graduates of the Seeds of Peace program, will present the awards.
Said Miller, “The presence of Shimon Peres and Sari Nusseibeh in Detroit is a powerful statement about the importance of Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation and a commitment to the value of the work of Seeds of Peace in equipping young leaders with the skills to promote coexistence and with the hope not to abandon the possibility of a better future.”
The Michigan Friends of Seeds of Peace Chapter was formed several years ago by a diverse group of corporate and community leaders to generate financial, governmental and public support for Seeds of Peace. The Michigan Chapter holds an annual gala which raises funds for Seeds of Peace and its programs. In addition, the Michigan Chapter has organized speaking engagements, attracted press attention to Seeds of Peace’s mission, and introduced the non-profit to Michigan’s congressional representatives.
The Gala will take place at the Ritz-Carlton, 300 Town Center Drive, Fairlane Plaza, Dearborn.
Since 1993, Seeds of Peace has graduated over 2,000 teenagers representing 22 nations from its internationally recognized conflict resolution and coexistence programs. Through these programs, at the International Camp in Maine and at its Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, participants develop empathy, respect, communication/negotiation skills, confidence, and hope—the building blocks for peaceful coexistence. A jointly published newspaper, and email listserve, educational conferences and seminars ensure year-round follow-up programming.