Interview with Andrea Lauer Rice, President of the Hungarian American Coalition.Continue reading
Governor George Pataki, Mrs. Andrea Lauer Rice, Mr. Zsolt Szekeres, Mrs. Susan Hutchison,
Mr. Andy Hutchison and Ms. Katica Avvakumovits at the Coalition’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
On October 26 the Hungarian American Coalition held a dinner celebrating the 30th anniversary of the organization and honoring supporters of its scholarship programs, according to the organization’s website.
The honorary chairman of the event – held at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. – was Hungarian-American software architect Charles Simonyi,.
Andrea Lauer Rice, the President of the Hungarian American Coalition, briefly reviewed their challenges and achievements: “over the past 30 years, the organization has had 4 presidents, 20 Gala chairmen, 38,000 members, 600+ projects, 515 interns and scholarship recipients, raised 7.5 million dollars for various programs, and worked with 5 US administrations and 4 Hungarian governments”.
She underlined the Coalition’s successful NATO advocacy and said: „We certainly see today how vital a role Central and Eastern Europe plays in strengthening the Alliance. Many in the room can tell from painful experience that if left unchallenged, Russia’s invasion of her neighbors will continue. We simply cannot forget”. Andrea Lauer Rice emphasized the Coalition’s recent fundraising efforts to assist Hungarian and Ukrainian refugees escaping war-torn Ukraine.
Hungarian Freedom Fighter Statue at Millennium Gate Park, Atlanta, GA (Photo via: Bonnie Morét Photography/ Hungarian American Coalition)
Another recent highlight of the Coalition’s work was the unveiling of the Hungarian Freedom Fighter statue in Atlanta on 23 October, Hungary’s national holiday. “The Coalition’s aim was to create a permanent statue to honor our 1956 Hungarian freedom fighters, but also to inspire all those who continue to fight tyranny, oppression, and communism across the world,” Andrea Lauer Rice said at the dinner.
The Hungarian American Coalition, the largest umbrella organization of the American Hungarian community received the Friends of Hungary Foundation’s Friend of Hungary Award this year.
Featured photo via Kevin Allen Photography/ Hungarian American Coalition