New York, NY –
Sept. 23, 2013 – The
National Law Enforcement and Firefighters
Children’s Foundation
(NLEAFCF) raised
nearly $500,000 at its its inaugural Hero
Awards Gala on
Monday, September 23, 2013 at the Edison
Ballroom in New York City, with cocktails at
6PM followed by dinner and an awards
ceremony with over 300 guests in
attendance. The NLEAFCF presented the
“Corporate Hero” Award to John
Chambers, Cisco Chairman and CEO and
the “Public Service Hero” Award to the Honorable
Rudolph Giuliani. Award-winning
journalist, best-selling author and
television personality
Joan Lunden was
the Emcee. Celebrated stage and screen
actress Holland
Taylor served
as Special Auctioneer at the event. The
awards are designed to honor distinguished
individuals and corporations whose work and
passion support the efforts of our nation’s
first responders. Proceeds from the event
help to underwrite NLEAFCF’s ongoing
scholarship and grant programs.
Created in the aftermath of
“9/11” by Alfred
Kahn, Chairman & CEO of
CraneKahn LLC, the NLEAFCF serves the needs
of children and families nationwide affected
by a line of duty death or permanent
disability. “I created this Foundation with
the mission of helping the heroes
of tomorrow – the children of our brave
firefighters and law enforcement officers
injured or lost in the line of duty, said
Kahn. “We are committed to providing
long-term assistance to these children of
our fallen heroes,” added Kahn.
The Co-Chairs included Nick
Adamo, SVP of The Americas, Cisco; and
Alfred R. Kahn & Jillian Crane. Vice
Chairs are Eric Hatzimemos, Managing
Partner, Giuliani Partners; Laurence A.
Levy, Counsel, Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP;
Jacqueline & James Rosinsky; and Charles V.
Salice. Also
attending was US Congresswoman, Carolyn
Maloney.
John Chambers is
Chairman and CEO of Cisco. Cisco
has worked closely with government,
first-responders and non-profits to respond
to disaster incidents by donating time,
services and equipment to improve
communications and collaboration in times of
emergency. In particular, Cisco’s Tactical
Operations Team is
trained to support emergency response
situations and deploys regularly to sites
across the country. Cisco is being honored
for its exemplary work after Hurricane
Katrina, the attacks on 9-11 and, most
recently, after Hurricane Sandy to ensure a
more coordinated response and to help
communities get back on their feet.
Chambers has received
numerous awards for his leadership over his
past 18 years at the helm of Cisco, for his
and Cisco's philanthropic activities. Chambers
received the U.S. State Department's top
corporate social responsibility award (ACE)
twice, from both Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton in 2010 and former Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice in 2005. He also
received the first-ever Clinton Global
Citizen Award from former U.S. President
Bill Clinton, and has been awarded the
Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate
Citizenship, and the prestigious Excellence
in Corporate Philanthropy Award, an award
given by CEOs to their CEO peers.
The Honorable Rudolph
Giuliani was
mayor of New York City from 1994-2002. Under
his leadership, New York City became the
best-known example of the resurgence of
urban America. From his success at cleaning
up Times Square and other public spaces
around the City to closing the Fresh Kills
landfill on Staten Island, Mayor Giuliani
worked tirelessly to pass New York to the
next generation better and more beautiful
than it was before he entered office. He
served as mayor during the September 11th
terrorist attacks in 2001 and drew praise
for his extraordinary leadership during an
unprecedented crisis. Arriving
on the scene within minutes of the second
plane crash, he coordinated rescue
operations that saved as many as 20,000
lives and emerged as the national voice of
reassurance and consolation – America’s
Mayor.
Joan Lunden truly
exemplifies today’s modern working woman. An
award-winning journalist, bestselling
author, motivational speaker, successful
entrepreneur, and one of America’s most
recognized and trusted television
personalities, this mom of seven continues
to do it all. As host of “Good Morning
America” for nearly two decades, Lunden
brought insight to top issues for millions
of Americans each day. The longest running
host ever on early morning television,
Lunden reported from 26 countries, covered 4
presidents and 5 Olympics and kept Americans
up to date on how to care for their homes,
their families and themselves.
Actress Holland
Taylor was
most recently nominated for a Tony Award for
her performance as Governor Ann Richards in
“Ann,” which she also wrote. Holland won the
Supporting Actress in Drama Emmy for “The
Practice,” and was nominated for comedy
Emmys for her Hedda-Hopper-esque columnist
on AMC’s “The Lot” and Charlie Sheen’s
hellish mother in “Two and a Half Men.”
Proceeds from the Hero Awards
Gala will fund NLEAFCF’s ongoing scholarship
and grants programs, affording much needed
financial support to the children of those
who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Underwriters of the event will also be
sponsoring tables for our first responders
so that our uniformed heroes, in addition to
our honorees, will be acknowledged for their
ongoing service and sacrifice.
ABOUT NLEAFCF
The NLEAFCF is a 501(c) 3
non-profit organization that provides
financial support to both children who have
lost a parent in the line of duty, and to
families in times of significant financial
hardship due to tragic circumstances.
Support is in the form of educational
scholarships; special needs grants and
family friendly events. In addition, the
NLEAFCF provides grants to programs created
and operated by law enforcement and
firefighting organizations whose purpose is
to educate children and benefit their local
communities.
For more information about
the National Law Enforcement & Firefighters
Children’s Foundation,
please visit www.nleafcf.org