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Andrew
Carnegie Medals of Philanthropy
Over
400 guests from across the globe gathered in the Scottish Parliament
on Tuesday, October 4, for the presentation of the Andrew Carnegie
Medal of Philanthropy 2005.
The
Medal, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for philanthropy, came
to Scotland, the land of Carnegie’s birth, for the first time.
It was presented to:
- His
Highness, the Aga Khan who was presented with the medal by Mary
Robinson, former President of Ireland
-
Anna Southall, Chair of the Barrow Cadbury Trust, who received
the medal from former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson of
Port Ellen on behalf of the Cadbury family
-
Sir Tom Farmer, Scots founder of Kwik-Fit who was presented with
his medal by Scottish First Minister, Rt Hon Jack McConnell
-
Eleanor Hewlett Gimon who received the medal on behalf of the
Hewlett family from Jane Wales, President of the Global Philanthropy
Forum
-
Agnes Gund, President Emerita of The Museum of Modern Art, New
York, who was presented with her medal by philanthropist and UK
Government Minister Lord Sainsbury of Turville
-
Susan Packard Orr who received the medal on behalf of the Packard
family from Scots philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter.Each of the recipients
was presented with a bronze Andrew Carnegie bust and medal, which
were commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation in New York. The
bronze busts were made in Chicago by the Wagner Foundry, weigh
between eight and 10lbs and were specially designed by American
artist Susan Clinard. The bronze medal was also made by the same
foundry.
Named
after Scots-American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, who left the
equivalent of $15 billion to philanthropy, the medal is presented
every two years to inspirational philanthropists and their families
who have dedicated their private wealth to public good.
Previous
recipients of the awards include the Gates, Rockefeller and Sainsbury
families, media tycoon Ted Turner and financier George Soros.
Over 400 guests at today’s ceremony were from the worlds of
philanthropy, politics, business the media and non-governmental
organisations, from the UK, Europe, North America, Africa, Asia
and Australia. They also took part in an international philanthropy
symposium earlier in the day to debate key challenges for philanthropy
in the 21st century.
Today,
the 22 foundations Carnegie set up in Europe and the USA support
cutting edge scientific research into global ecology; millions of
dollars of educational and social development projects in Africa;
conflict resolution and democracy-building in the former USSR, China
and the Middle East and educational and community development initiatives
in Europe and North America.
William
Thomson, a great grandson of Andrew Carnegie, is Chair of the Carnegie
Medal of Philanthropy 2005 Organising Group and the International
Selection Committee 2005.
He
said:
“The Medals of Philanthropy commemorate Carnegie’s philanthropic
legacy and belief that private wealth should be used to benefit
mankind.
Recipients
of the medal share Andrew Carnegie’s vision that distributing
one’s accumulated wealth for the common good is just as important
a task as building up that wealth.
“Philanthropic
work must also reflect a range and depth of endeavours and a sustained
record of accomplishment. Additionally the impact of philanthropy
on a field, a nation or on the international community needs to
be strong and continuous.”
The Award Ceremony was preceded by an international philanthropy
symposium attended by commentators and experts of international
standing who came together to discuss six key issues for philanthropy
in the 21st century.
The events were organised by the UK-based Carnegie trusts. They
were supported by the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Executive,
EventScotland, Visit Scotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the City
of Edinburgh Council and Fife Council.
For
more details, see www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk.
For
further information, please contact:
Alex Barr +44 (0) 141 333 9585
Frances Donald +44 (0) 1592 643 200
For further information on the Scottish Parliament or Holyrood,
please contact:
Sally Coyne +44 (0) 131 348 6265
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