Blinded American Veterans Foundation Sets 17th Annual Congressional Awards Ceremony; Two Members of Congress to be Honored

6/12/2002

From: John Fales of the Blinded American Veterans Foundation, 202-257-5446

News Advisory:

The Blinded American Veterans Foundation (BAVF) will hold its 17th Annual Congressional Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 13, in Room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The annual event, held in conjunction with the Foundation's Flag Day observance, honors Members of Congress, the media, and volunteers.

"This is a special time of year for the Foundation, for it centers around the day our country pays tribute to the American flag," said BAVF president John Fales. "It also gives us the opportunity to honor members of Congress and those in the media who have helped the millions of men and women who were willing to put their lives on the line in defense of our flag and for all it stands, as well as to thank some of the many volunteers who have helped the Foundation since its beginning."

Members of Congress receiving the 2002 George "Buck" Gillispie Congressional Award for Meritorious Service are U.S. Senator Harry Reid (Nevada) and Representative Michael Bilirakis (Florida). The award is named in honor of the blinded World War II veteran who devoted more than 40 years toward efforts to aid in the rehabilitation of visually impaired veterans.

Sen. Reid has consistently fought for the rights and interests of children, families, seniors, and workers since his election to the U.S. Senate in 1986. He has fought for the Patient's Bill of Rights, increased funding for disease research, prescription drug coverage, long-term care, and other health care initiatives.

Rep. Bilirakis has served on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs since 1982 and now serves as the Vice-Chairman of the full Committee and is a member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. He has led efforts to secure cost-of-living increases for veterans with service-related disabilities and has filed legislation in each Congress to repeal the law on concurrent receipt.

Receiving this year's Carlton Sherwood Media Award (named in honor of the Pulitzer and Peabody Award-winning journalist and highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran) are Stephen Barr, "Federal Diary" columnist with The Washington Post and associate producer Na Eng, formerly with NBC Nightly News.

This year's recipients of the George Alexander Memorial Award for Volunteer Service are David T. Nassef, Vice President - Federal Relations, Pitney Bowes, Inc., and Ronald G. Zola, Executive Director of the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Project of Western Pennsylvania. The Foundation's Corporate Award goes to En-Vision America, an assistive technology corporation.

John Hanchette, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter with Gannett News Service, will emcee the event.

------ The Blinded American Veterans Foundation assists blinded and sensory-disabled veterans in attaining their full potential through research, rehabilitation, and re-employment. It offers employment networking and rehabilitation and resource counseling, and provides funding for rehabilitation centers. Other programs include a speaker's bureau, placement services, and compilation of related statistics. The BAVF also conducts research and educational and charitable programs. This valuable service is performed strictly with volunteers and without a paid staff.