On May 18, 2017, the Hungarian American Coalition honored HIF Chairman of the Board Ambassador April H. Foley at its 13th annual Gala Dinner. Ambassador Foley received the award for her significant contributions to US – Hungary relations and to the Hungarian American community through her leadership of The Hungary Foundation.
Max Teleki, Réka Szemerkényi, April Foley, Edith Lauer, Colleen Bell, Andrea Lauer, Erika Fedor, Stefan Fedor
At its annual Gala Dinner held in the House of Sweden, in Washington DC, the Hungarian American Coalition celebrated its 26th anniversary. Members of the Hungarian American community came together from all across the nation for the event, the proceeds of which supported the Dr. Elemer and Eva Kiss Scholarship Fund as well as the Coalition Internship Program.
HIF board members Ambassador Kurt Volker, Tamás Fellegi, Edith Lauer and Anna Smith Lacey were also in attendance.
During the dinner, Mrs. Andrea Lauer Rice, President of the Coalition reviewed the many accomplishments of the organization highlighting the Coalition’s Internship Program and the Memory Project – Hungarian American Visual History Archive which now features over 100 interviews with Hungarian immigrants to the United States.
Ambassador Kurt Volker, toasted the five former ambassadors in attendance, and thanked them for their leadership and public service. Former Hungarian Ambassador to the US, Réka Szemerkényi received a special honor for her dedicated outreach to the Hungarian American community.
In her laudatory remarks, Edith K. Lauer, chairman emerita of HAC praised HIF chairman Ambassador Foley for her long-lasting commitment to Hungarian American causes. “Thank you for your continued strong commitment to U.S.-Hungarian relations, and for your genuine love of our homeland!” she said, on behalf of the Hungarian American community.
In accepting the award, April Foley said that her love affair with Hungary which started when she was posted to Budapest, has never ceased since, and she was honored to be continuously involved in supporting the Hungarian American community through the work of the Hungary Foundation.
Photos courtesy of photo: Kevin Allen / HAC