Press Releases

President Bill Clinton to Receive Oklahoma City National Memorial Reflections of Hope Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2010

Contacts:
Kari Watkins, Executive Director
405.235.3313 or 405.830.6114
kw@oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org

Clinton Foundation Press Office
212.348.0360
press@clintonfoundation.org

2010 INTERNATIONAL REFLECTIONS OF HOPE AWARD TO HONOR PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON

OKLAHOMA CITY --- The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum will honor President Bill Clinton for his work in helping Oklahoma City transform following the bombing of the federal building almost 15 years ago and for his international peace work during his presidency and over the past decade.

President Clinton founded the William J. Clinton Foundation to focus on worldwide issues that demand urgent actions, solutions and measurable actions. The Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and around the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. The Clinton Foundation has several initiatives which work to fight climate change, promote sustainable development, expand economic opportunity, and encourage healthier lifestyles. In addition, the Clinton Global Initiative, established in 2005, convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

"In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, I tried to comfort and encourage those who had lost their loved ones, and the country at large, and to step up our efforts to protect Americans from terrorism. Fifteen years later, my life remains indelibly marked by the people I met and the stories they told me as work through my Foundation to address issues of insecurity and instability around the world. I sincerely thank the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum for this award and for all it continues to do to instill hope and promote healing across our nation," said President Clinton.

The Reflections of Hope Award honors a living person or active organization whose conduct exemplifies in an extraordinary fashion two core beliefs of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation: that hope can survive and blossom despite the tragedy and chaos of political violence and that, even in environments marred by such violence, peaceful, nonviolence approaches provide the best answers to human problems.

“President Clinton and the work of the Clinton Foundation exemplify the core mission of this award and the Memorial and Museum,” said Kari Watkins, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum executive director. “He stood by this city 15 years ago and helped lead the way to rebuilding the heart of our city. Since then, he has done a tremendous job of bringing together the private sector and the non-governmental organizations to combat global issues.”

President Clinton will be honored at a reception and a dinner on April 21, 2010, just two days after the nation marks the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The reception and dinner will be at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel, Grand Ballroom in downtown Oklahoma City.

For ticketing information go to www.reflectionsofhopeaward.org. The Reflections of Hope Award, established in 2005, is made possible through the generous support of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum educates visitors about the impact of violence and terrorism, teaches the lessons learned from the Oklahoma City bombing and inspires hope and healing from those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

For more information on the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, call 1.888.542.HOPE or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org

Media Alert

WHO: The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum will honor President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, for his work in helping Oklahoma City transform following the bombing of the federal building and for his work focusing on worldwide issues that demand urgent actions, solutions and measurable actions.

WHAT: The Reflections of Hope Award honors a living person or active organization whose conduct exemplifies in an extraordinary fashion two core beliefs of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum: that hope can survive and blossom despite the tragedy and chaos of political violence and that, even in environments marred by such violence, peaceful, non-violent approaches provide the best answers to human problems.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, the week the community commemorates the 15th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and celebrates the rebuilding and resilience of a city torn apart by terrorism.

WHERE: The Special Event Center at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

« Back to Press Releases | Archived Press Releases »