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March of Dimes Honors Senator Edward Kennedy for His Work With Children and Families
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., JULY 23, 2001 – The March of Dimes will present Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass) with the prestigious Franklin Delano Roosevelt Award at the foundation’s Harvest in Provence in Boston on October 26, 2001.
Senator Kennedy will be honored for his lifetime of work in advancing a wide range of initiatives central to the health and well being of children and families, the March of Dimes said.
"Senator Kennedy has been a strong voice on issues important to American families for decades,’’ said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "He is a visionary legislator whose work has resulted in significant improvements in federal support of research and services critical to children and their families.’’
Senator Kennedy was an author of the 1994 Family and Medical Leave Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. In 1997, he co-authored legislation that created the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which today provides critically needed coverage to more than three million previously uninsured children. He was instrumental in the Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1998 and the Children’s Health Act of 2000. His ongoing initiatives include expansion of family health insurance coverage and the Patients’ Bill of Rights.
The event will occur at the seventh annual March of Dimes Harvest Ball to be held at the Boston Ritz Carlton Hotel. The money raised will help fund March of Dimes programs to benefit mothers, babies and children. The award is named in honor of the 32nd President of the United States and founder of the March of Dimes. It is presented to individuals and corporations who have made a substantial contribution to the community. The Harvest in Provence will be one of several events throughout the country in the fall in which the March of Dimes will partner with Les Maitres Cuisiniers de France (the Master Chefs of France) to bring the gourmet heritage of Provence, France to the United States.
Jack Ford of ABC News will also be presented with the Award. A former attorney and assistant prosecutor, Ford is being recognized for his long devotion to child and health related issues. The father of two teenagers, Ford has received the ‘Media Award’ for lifesaving reporting from the National Marfan Foundation. It is estimated that at least 200,000 people in the United States have the Marfan Syndrome or a related connective tissue disorder.
Ford also serves at host of the New Jersey Special Olympics and is actively involved in Big Brothers/Big Sisters. He is a recipient of the ‘National Father of The Year Award’ in 1998 by the U.S. National Father’s Day Committee.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, call toll-free 1-888-MODIMES.
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