Queen Nor and Mike Grgich Honored Onboard Queen Mary II
April 30, 2007
Queen Nor and Mike Grgich honered onboard Queen Mary ll.
Today, onboard Queen Mary 2 at her homeport in Brooklyn, Roots of Peace presented the first-ever Global Citizen Awards during the "Cruise for Peace Bon Voyage Luncheon" sponsored by Cunard Line.
Queen Nor and Mike Grgich Honored Onboard Queen Mary II
Cunard Line hosts Roots of Peace Global Citizen Awards and Cruise for Peace Bon Voyage Luncheon
Grammy Nominated Singer, Judy Collins to Perform
NEW YORK (April 30, 2007) Today, onboard Queen Mary 2 at her homeport in Brooklyn, Roots of Peace presented the first-ever Global Citizen Awards during the “Cruise for Peace” Bon Voyage Luncheon sponsored by Cunard Line. Roots of Peace, a humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of landmines, created the Global Citizen Awards to salute the leadership and unique contributions of Her Majesty Queen Nor and Mike Grgich, legendary Napa Valley vintner, for their tireless advocacy of raising landmine awareness around the globe. During a wine tasting reception featuring Grgich Hills wines a special toast will be offered to honor their continued efforts to replace the scourge of landmines with bountiful agricultural crops, by turning Mines to Vines.
Queen Noor has been a tireless advocate for landmine victims and their families to recover, heal, and resume their role as participating and contributing members of society. For the past 10 years, she has hosted conferences, traveled extensively abroad and been a leader in promoting public understanding of the humanitarian disaster wrought by landmines and the dire need to assist survivors in rebuilding their lives.
After a visit to the minefields in his homeland of Croatia in 2000 with Roots of Peace, Mike Grgich was inspired to raise funds for landmine removal through the proceeds of a charity fundraiser celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Paris Tasting. Since then, he has continued his support of Roots of Peace which has now completed projects in Dragalić, Bibinge, Čista Mala, Čista Velika, Ilok, and Karlovac in his homeland of Croatia.
Roots of Peace will also announce at the luncheon new donations for de-mining projects in Angola, one of the most heavily mined countries. The donations will go towards clearing landmines and restoring rangeland located in southeastern Angola once used by a herd of 135,000 elephants now displaced in Botswana. “United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is proud to partner with Roots of Peace to extract the millions of landmines in Angola that have pierced the skin of Mother Nature, pinning populations down into lives of fear and poverty and closing the ancient migration routes of the magnificent elephants that once roamed throughout the Okavango Delta. We hope to free the Earth and her children, so that the largest footsteps of an elephant may walk in tandem with the footsteps of a child,” said Brennan Van Dyke, Director - Regional Office for North America.
Cunard Line President Carol Marlow and Commodore Bernard Warner will co-host the luncheon with Roots of Peace Founders Heidi & Gary Kuhn that will include dignitaries including; Ambassador Said Jawad, Afghan Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Ken Rutherford, Co-Founder, Landmine Survivors Network and Sean Sutton, MAG (Mines Action Group). Renowned Grammy nominated singer, Judy Collins will entertain in the iconic liners’ Queens Room, the largest ballroom at sea. The luncheon kicks-off the Roots of Peace ~ Cruise for Peace, a six-day Transatlantic voyage April 30 to May 6 from New York to Southampton, England on Cunard’s flagship luxury ocean liner, Queen Mary 2. "As we cruise for peace en route to the U.K., we salute global citizens such as the late Princess Diana who catapulted the issue of landmines to the forefront of the international agenda," said Heidi Kuhn.
A portion of the fare from each voyage booked through travel partner You & Leisure Travel will be donated to Roots of Peace to continue de-mining projects in Angola and Afghanistan. While at sea, the “Cruise for Peace” will feature an array of global dignitaries speaking on the issue of landmines as part of the onboard enrichment program Cunard Insights™, which introduces guests to stimulating experts and accomplished visionaries who reflect Cunard’s heritage of adventure and prestige.
About Roots of Peace
The Roots of Peace mission is to rid the world of landmines by transforming minefields into thriving farmland – literally turning "Mines into Vines." Our demine-replant-rebuild programs promote entrepreneurship and economic self-sufficiency in food production, processing and marketing to lift farmers out of poverty and restore hope and prosperity to rural communities emerging from prolonged conflict in the countries of Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Croatia, and Iraq. For more information visit www.rootsofpeace.org.
About Cunard Line
Cunard Line, operator of the luxury ocean liners Queen Mary 2 and QE2, has long been synonymous with the quest for new discoveries and the epitome of British refinement since the company's first paddle-wheeled steamer, Britannia, crossed the Atlantic in 1840. Cunard voyages bring together like-minded travelers who relish the Cunard hallmarks of impeccable White Star ServiceSM, fine dining, sophisticated adventure, the legacy of historic voyages and transatlantic travel. Queen Victoria joins the fleet in December 2007.
| Contact | Cindy Adams | Caroline Klein |
| Redpoint Marketing PR | Redpoint Marketing PR | |
| adams@redpointpr.com | klein@redpointpr.com | |
| Cell: 917.282.2464 | Cell: 414.732.5352 | |
| www.RootsofPeace.org | www.cunard.com |
Afghan Almond Industry
May 1, 2007
European Community awards Roots of Peace contract to establish a national Afghan almond industrial organization under their Perennial Horticulture Development Program.
Event April 30
April 30, 2007
Roots of Peace presents the first-ever Global Citizen Awards to Her Majesty Queen Noor and legendary Napa Valley vintner, Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills Estate, during a special "Bon Voyage" luncheon on board the Queen Mary 2, hosted by Cunard Lines. Grammy nominated singer, Judy Collins performed for the luncheon. (See luncheon photos.)
Heidi Kuhn presents Her Majesty Queen Noor with the "Global Citizen Award" during the Bon Voyage luncheon hosted by Cunard onboard the Queen Mary 2 on April 30th in New York
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HER MAJESTY QUEEN NOOR
AND LEGENDARY NAPA VINTNER MIKE GRGICH HONORED ONBOARD QUEEN MARY 2
Cunard Line hosts Roots of Peace Global Citizen Awards and Cruise for Peace Bon Voyage Luncheon
Grammy Nominated Singer, Judy Collins to Perform
NEW YORK (April 30, 2007) Today, onboard Queen Mary 2 at her homeport in Brooklyn, Roots of Peace presented the first-ever Global Citizen Awards during the “Cruise for Peace” Bon Voyage Luncheon sponsored by Cunard Line. Roots of Peace, a humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of landmines, created the Global Citizen Awards to salute the leadership and unique contributions of Her Majesty Queen Noor and Mike Grgich, legendary Napa Valley vintner, for their tireless advocacy of raising landmine awareness around the globe. During a wine tasting reception featuring Grgich Hills wines a special toast will be offered to honor their continued efforts to replace the scourge of landmines with bountiful agricultural crops, by turning Mines to Vines.
Queen Noor has been a tireless advocate for landmine victims and their families to recover, heal, and resume their role as participating and contributing members of society. For the past 10 years, she has hosted conferences, traveled extensively abroad and been a leader in promoting public understanding of the humanitarian disaster wrought by landmines and the dire need to assist survivors in rebuilding their lives.
After a visit to the minefields in his homeland of Croatia in 2000 with Roots of Peace, Mike Grgich was inspired to raise funds for landmine removal through the proceeds of a charity fundraiser celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Paris Tasting. Since then, he has continued his support of Roots of Peace which has now completed projects in Dragalić, Bibinge, Čista Mala, Čista Velika, Ilok, and Karlovac in his homeland of Croatia.
Roots of Peace will also announce at the luncheon new donations for de-mining projects in Angola, one of the most heavily mined countries. The donations will go towards clearing landmines and restoring rangeland located in southeastern Angola once used by a herd of 135,000 elephants now displaced in Botswana. “United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is proud to partner with Roots of Peace to extract the millions of landmines in Angola that have pierced the skin of Mother Nature, pinning populations down into lives of fear and poverty and closing the ancient migration routes of the magnificent elephants that once roamed throughout the Okavango Delta. We hope to free the Earth and her children, so that the largest footsteps of an elephant may walk in tandem with the footsteps of a child,” said Brennan Van Dyke, Director - Regional Office for North America.
Cunard Line President Carol Marlow and Commodore Bernard Warner will co-host the luncheon with Roots of Peace Founders Heidi & Gary Kuhn that will include dignitaries including; Ambassador Said Jawad, Afghan Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Ken Rutherford, Co-Founder, Landmine Survivors Network and Sean Sutton, MAG (Mines Action Group). Renowned Grammy nominated singer, Judy Collins will entertain in the iconic liners’ Queens Room, the largest ballroom at sea. The luncheon kicks-off the Roots of Peace ~ Cruise for Peace, a six-day Transatlantic voyage April 30 to May 6 from New York to Southampton, England on Cunard’s flagship luxury ocean liner, Queen Mary 2. "As we cruise for peace en route to the U.K., we salute global citizens such as the late Princess Diana who catapulted the issue of landmines to the forefront of the international agenda," said Heidi Kuhn.
A portion of the fare from each voyage booked through travel partner You & Leisure Travel will be donated to Roots of Peace to continue de-mining projects in Angola and Afghanistan. While at sea, the “Cruise for Peace” will feature an array of global dignitaries speaking on the issue of landmines as part of the onboard enrichment program Cunard Insights™, which introduces guests to stimulating experts and accomplished visionaries who reflect Cunard’s heritage of adventure and prestige.
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About Roots of Peace
The Roots of Peace mission is to rid the world of landmines by transforming minefields into thriving farmland – literally turning "Mines into Vines." Our demine-replant-rebuild programs promote entrepreneurship and economic self-sufficiency in food production, processing and marketing to lift farmers out of poverty and restore hope and prosperity to rural communities emerging from prolonged conflict in the countries of Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Croatia, and Iraq. For more information visit www.rootsofpeace.org.
About Cunard Line
Cunard Line, operator of the luxury ocean liners Queen Mary 2 and QE2, has long been synonymous with the quest for new discoveries and the epitome of British refinement since the company's first paddle-wheeled steamer, Britannia, crossed the Atlantic in 1840. Cunard voyages bring together like-minded travelers who relish the Cunard hallmarks of impeccable White Star ServiceSM, fine dining, sophisticated adventure, the legacy of historic voyages and transatlantic travel. Queen Victoria joins the fleet in December 2007.
Event April 25
April 25, 2007
GIVE US YOUR 2 CENTS FOR PEACE! Roots of Peace announces 15 million pennies raised by American children for peace. REGISTER for the Penny Campaign. See ABC 7 News coverage.
2007 Program Announcements
2007 Program Announcements
FROM MINES TO VINES:
Roots of Peace continues work assisting Afghan grape farmers and merchants grow higher value table
grape varieties that are marketable in foreign countries. Roots of Peace has been working in the Shomali where we have removed 100,000 landmines and UXO’s, trained 10,000 Afghan farmers, and exported over 100 metric tons of grapes to India, Pakistan, UAE, and other countries—doubling income for farmers. (More)
SPRING OFFENSIVE FOR PEACE: Roots of Peace announces new national orchard programs in Afghanistan to plant nearly 2 million cherries, apricots, prunes, plums, apples, walnuts, and almonds trees throughout the regions of Kandahar, Badakhshan, and Jalalabad. (More)
UC Berkeley Media Advisory
April 16 & 17, 2007
PLANTING PEACE IN THE VALLEY:
Roots of Peace hosted the Afghan Ambassador to the U.S., Said T. Jawad, to the Bay Area. Ambassador and Mrs. Jawad joined legendary vintners Mrs. Robert Mondavi and Mike Grgich in a vine planting ceremony at COPIA in Napa. Ambassador Jawad spoke at UC Berkeley on "Winning the Peace in Afghanistan, Challenges and Opportunities." (See UC Berkeley News Center and ABC 7 news coverage of his visit.)
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MEDIA ADVISORY Afghanistan Ambassador to the U.S. Honors Roots of Peace at Copia in Napa Valley NAPA–Afghan Ambassador to the United States, Said T. Jawad, will take part in a symbolic grapevine planting ceremony on the grounds of Copia on April 16, 2007 at 11:00 am, in an event hosted by Copia and San Rafael based Roots of Peace. It’s to honor the role of Californians supporting Roots of Peace’s efforts to remove landmines in Afghanistan farmlands and restoring their vineyards. The bay area has a significant interest for Ambassador Jawad because the city of Fremont is home to the largest population of Afghans in the country. Roots of Peace, in partnership with UC Davis and USAID and major Napa Valley vintners, has removed more than 100,000 landmines and unexploded ordinance from farmland in Afghanistan and trained over 10,000 farmers to grow grapes and raisins, alternative agricultural crops to poppies. “Throughout Afghanistan’s tragic past, some thought that the solution to the problems in our country was to put guns in the hands of Afghan children, or to convince Afghan farmers to abandon their vineyards and orchards and fight. Today, organizations like Roots of Peace are helping to right these wrongs,” says Ambassador Jawad. “They are giving the children seeds instead of guns, and teaching them how to plant instead of how to fight. They are telling the farmers to go back to their long-neglected vineyards, to once again feel the soil in their hands, to replant and rebuild. These farmers are not only putting down the roots of their crops, they are reconnecting with their own roots in the land, roots that were long ago severed. I would like to thank Heidi and Roots of Peace for helping my people replant and rebuild, for showing them the way to grow new roots into the soil of our beautiful country.” The grape vine to be planted by Ambassador Jawad is a green fruited table grape variety called, Vitis vinifera or ‘Lal Sorkh.’ This grapevine is a direct descendent from the collection of Afghan root stalk that acclaimed viticulturist, the late UC Davis professor and grape geneticist, Harold Olmo brought back and studied from Afghanistan in 1948. “This grapevine is a wonderful symbol of the shared heritage between farmers from our two countries. It will serve as a permanent reminder for all visitors to Copia of the seeds we have in common and the hope that peace may be planted from Napa Valley to Afghanistan,” says Heidi Kuhn, Founder & CEO of Roots of Peace. A short film, funded by The Skoll Foundation, will be shown following the planting ceremony featuring the October 2006 visit to the Shomali Plains by Mrs. Shamim Jawad, wife of the Ambassador, and Mrs. Heidi Kuhn—following the footsteps of an Afghan and American mother who are removing landmines and establishing vineyards, schools and soccer fields. Audiences interested in foreign affairs, women’s issues, health, children and humanitarian efforts will find inspiration in the emotional human element and grand political implications of the Roots of Peace story. Copia and UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, International Programs will co-host a private luncheon for the special guests attending the ceremony at Julia’s Kitchen following the showing of the film. “We are very honored to host this esteemed group of dignitaries,” says Arthur Jacobus, Copia’s President. “Their message and efforts for peace serve to inspire the world.” Who: Said T. Jawad, Afghan Ambassador to the United States; Shamim Jawad, Founder of AYENDA: The Afghan Children’s Initiative; Heidi Kuhn, Founder and CEO of Roots of Peace; Arthur Jacobus, President, Copia; James E. Hill, Assoc. Dean, Int’l Programs, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis Special guests: Margrit Mondavi, Diane Baker, Tor Kenward, and Jeanne Marie Olmo When: Monday, April 16, 2007, 11:00 am This is a private event but we encourage media to attend. Please contact Kathleen Iudice for event information. # # # About Copia Copia is located at 500 First Street in downtown Napa. Hours are Wednesday through Monday 10am - 5pm (closed Tuesday). General Admission is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors and students, and free for children 12 years and younger (accompanied by an adult). Wednesdays are half price for Napa and Sonoma residents. Memberships are available. For additional information, please call 707.259.1600. About Roots of Peace # # # |
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