2010 Juliet Hollister Awards Ceremony

The 50th Anniversary Gala

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The 2010 Honorees include:

Prince El Hassan bin Talal

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond M. Tutu

Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

Karen Armstrong

Interfaith Visionary Lifetime Achievement Award

Sister Joan Kirby

In dedication to Sister Joan Kirby for promoting inter-religious values at the United Nations, her lifelong commitment to addressing human rights and ecological issues, and her passionate devotion to the development of young leaders.

Sister Joan Kirby’s accomplishments have been highlighted by several high level initiatives. She served as Secretary of the NGO Committee on Human Rights, Chairperson of the 2004 NGO/DPI Conference, “The Millennium Development Goals: Civil Society Takes Action” and chaired the Outreach Committee for the 2008 NGO/DPI Conference on the International Declaration of Human Rights held in Paris, France.

Sister Kirby was elected to serve for two years as Chair of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee and was President of the Religious NGOs at the UN.

Sister Kirby has played an important role in developing the first-ever Tri-Partite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation and Peace which is composed of Member States, UN Agencies, and NGOs working for peace through interfaith cooperation.

Sister Kirby is currently on the Steering Committee for a UN Decade of Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace as well as being a founding member of the Interfaith Consortium for Ecological Civilization. She also has been invited and hosted around the world at global conferences related to UN issues.

Since 2004, Sister Joan Kirby has been instrumental in the education of teen youth at the Temple of Understanding through her UN Intensive Internship Program.

Interfaith Visionary Call to Action Conference on Sustainable Development

In honor of its 50th Anniversary, TOU hosted a historic Interfaith Visionary Call To Action Conference on Sustainable Development | October 19, 2010 at The Pierre Hotel, NYC

The leaders of international interfaith organizations, along with other eminent interfaith visionaries, convened for the first time in 50 years to explore the role of the interfaith movement in addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development.

The statement from the conference was delivered by Van Jones to Robert Orr, the Under Secretary General of the UN on October 19, 2010 at the 50th Anniversary Gala.

Statement from the Call to Action Conference of Interfaith Visionaries, organized by the Temple of Understanding:

On October 19, 2010, 120 interfaith visionaries, environmental experts, civic and business leaders met in New York City to engage in a creative conversation to explore how they are uniquely positioned and poised to help shape the transformational potential of this intersection of ecology and religion.

This conversation helped define the potential role that the broader interfaith community can play in the effective work of the Interfaith Consortium for an Ecological Civilization (ICEC). We affirm that environmental concerns are moral and spiritual concerns, not just political concerns, and that action must begin locally.

The Interfaith Visionaries who Attended included:

Mr. Macky Alston, Trustee, Hartley Film Foundation

Mr. Jay Banerjei, Co-Founder, One People

Mrs. Molly Banerjei, Co-Founder, One People

H.H. Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Founder and Spiritual Director, Kashi Ashram (represented by Swami Anjani)

The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, Founder and President, Interfaith Power and Light

Dr. Josef Boehle, Coordinator, UNESCO Chair in Interfaith Studies University of Birmingham, UK

Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, President, World Congress of Faiths

Dr. Patrice Brodeur, Canada Research Chair on Islam, Pluralism, and Globalization, University of Montreal

Dr. Suheil Bushrui, Baha’i Chair for World Peace, University of Maryland

Ms. Majora Carter, Founder, Sustainable South Bronx

Rev. Paul Chaffee, Executive Director, Interfaith Center at the Presidio

Mr. Simon Cohen, Founder and Managing Director, Global Tolerance

Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director, Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions

Rev. James Forbes, Founder and President, Healing of the Nations Foundation

Ms. Tonya Gonnella Frichner, Founder and President, American Indian Law Alliance

Dr. Carolyne Fuqua, Founder and President, Circles of Light

Mr. Homi Gandhi, President, Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York

The Rev. Cannon Charles P. Gibbs, Executive Director, United Religions Initiative

Dr. Daniel Gomez-Ibanez, Founder, The International Committee for the Peace Council

Ms. Bettina Gray, Chairperson, North American Interfaith Network

Mr. Herman F. Greene, President, Center for Ecozoic Studies

Mr. Alex Grey, Co-Founder, CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors

Mrs. Allyson Grey, Co-Founder, CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors

Dr. John Allen Grim, Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar, Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Yale University

Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director, GreenFaith

Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, President, Auburn Theological Seminary

Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President, Union Theologcial Seminary

Van Jones, Professor, Department of African American Studies, Princeton University

Fr. Robert Kennedy Roshi, Zen teacher, Morning Star Zendo

Ms. Daisy Khan, Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement

Rev. Dr. Paul Knitter, Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World, and Culture, Union Theological Seminary

Imam Khalid Latif, Director and Chaplain, Islamic Center, New York University

Ven. Dr. Chung-Ok Lee, Executive Director, United Nations Affairs and Inter-religious Work, Won Buddhism International

Rev. William Lesher, Chair Emeritus, Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions

Ms. Kay Lindahl, Founder, The Listening Center

Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, National Geographic Fellow, National Geographic

Professor T.T. Liu, Executive Director, Foundation for World Freedom and Democracy

Mr. Clark Lobenstine, Executive Director, Interfaith Conference of the Metropolitan Washington

Mr. Johnny Lu, Founder, Jewelry Institute of America

Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper, Onondago Nation

Dr. Daniel Martin, Founder, International Center for Religion and the Earth

Dr. Thomas Mathew, President, International Association for Religious Freedom

Fr. Paul Mayer, Co-Founder, Climate Crisis Coalition

Ms. Dena Merriam, Founder and Convener, Global Peace Initiative of Women

Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, Superior General of the Konko Church of Izuo, United Religions International

Dame Dr. Prof. Meher Master Moos, President, Zoroastrian College

Very Rev. James Parks Morton, President, Interfatih Center of New York

Shri Vivek Muniji Disciple of His Holiness Acharya Sushil Kumarji Maharaj (represented by Gautam Oswal, Secretary-General, International Mahavir Jain MIssion, India)

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chairman, The Cordoba Initiative

Dr. Steven C. Rockefeller, Co-Chair, The Earth Charter International Council

Mr. Marc Scheuer, Director, Alliance of Civilizations

Bhai Sahib Dr. Mohinder Singh, Chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha

Ms. Rajinderjit K. Singh, President, East and West Association of Sikh Women for World Peace

Rev. Helen Summers, Founder and Director, The Interfaith Center of Melbourne

Mr. Jake Swamp, President, Tree of Peace Society

The Rt. Rev. William Swin, Founder and President, United Religions Initiative

Dharma Master Hsin Tao, Founder, Museum of World Religions represented by Dr. Maria Reis Habito

Dr. Robert Thurman, Co-Founder, Tibet House

Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Director, Fellowship Program, GreenFaith

Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, Senior Lecturer and Senior Scholar, Department of Religious Studies, Yale University

Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace

The Reverend Dr. Franklin Vilas, Trustee, International Communities for the Renewal of the Earth

Mr. Stein Villumstad, Deputy Secretary General, World Council of Religions for Peace

Mr. Steven Waldman, Co-Founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief, Beliefnet.com

Honorable Yao Eng-Chi, President, World League for Freedom and Democracy

Master Cheng Yen, Founder, Tzu Chi Foundation (represented by Mr. George Chang)

Statement from the Call to Action Conference of Interfaith Visionaries, organized by the Temple of Understanding:

On October 19, 2010, 120 interfaith visionaries, environmental experts, civic and business leaders met in New York City to engage in a creative conversation to explore how they are uniquely positioned and poised to help shape the transformational potential of this intersection of ecology and religion.

This conversation helped define the potential role that the broader interfaith community can play in the effective work of the Interfaith Consortium for an Ecological Civilization (ICEC). We affirm that environmental concerns are moral and spiritual concerns, not just political concerns, and that action must begin locally.

Environmental Advisers who attended:

Dr. Robert Bell, Chairman of the Economics Department, Brooklyn College

Mrs. Juanita Castaño, Director, New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme

Father John Chryssavgis, Founder, St. Andrew’s Theological College

Rev. Dr. Kurt Johnson, Co-Founder, International Contemplative Alliance

Mr. Dan Miner, Chair, Sierra Club, New York City Group

Mr. Brian Rosborough, Founding Chairman, Earthwatch Institute

Ms. Cynthia Sampson, Freelance editor and writer on environmental peacemaking, religion, and ecology

Mr. James Sniffen, Program Officer, United Nations Environment Programme, NYC

Mr. Tim Toben, Chair, NC Energy Policy Council

Master of Ceremony

Rolland Smith

Mr. Rolland Smith has over forty-five years of professional broadcast experience as an anchorman, reporter, writer, producer and commentator for local and national programs airing on CBS and documentary series Eye on New York and the Ten O’clock News on WWOR-TV in New York. He is the recipient of 11 Emmy Awards and has been honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with 35 Emmy nominations.

He is a seasoned journalist, having conducted interviews with many world figures and political leaders, frontline coverage of the Vietnam War during the Tet Offensive, anchored the international broadcast feed of Live Aid, and reported on many other historical event around the world.