SEATTLE, April 5, 2018 /CNW/ -- To further strengthen
its commitment to the transformative power of travel and the belief
that connecting people from different cultures opens minds, builds
connections and inspires shared humanity, Holland America Line is
establishing the Shared Humanity Award to be given annually
starting this year. The award will be presented to a leader and
change-maker who has dedicated their life to inspiring others to
see that the things that unite us are greater than those that
divide us.
Holland America Line president
Orlando Ashford bestowed the first
Shared Humanity Award on Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the former
Archbishop of Cape Town, South
Africa, in recognition of his lifetime spent championing
equality, inclusion and peace. The Archbishop attended the program
on April 4, 2018, aboard
Amsterdam in Cape Town during a stop on its Grand World
Voyage. Guests also heard highlights of the Archbishop's remarkable
life from Robert V. Taylor,
president of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation in New York, who was in Cape Town for the event. Also in attendance
was Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival
Corporation.
Ashford presented a $40,000
donation on behalf of Holland America Line to the Desmond Tutu
Peace Foundation in commemoration of the award. Holland
America Line's Shared Humanity Award
– together with a menu from dinner on board Amsterdam following the award program -
will be showcased in the Archbishop's museum once completed in
Cape Town.
"Holland America Line is guided by the belief that travel
changes the way we look at the world and helps create a path toward
acceptance. By establishing the Shared Humanity Award, we can pay
tribute to those who have inspired us and millions of others," said
Orlando Ashford, president of
Holland America Line. "We are incredibly honored to give the first
Shared Humanity Award to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, one of the
world's foremost human rights activists and spiritual leaders, who
has dedicated his life to spreading peace, freedom, justice and
democracy around the globe."
Tutu, the first black African to serve as Archbishop of
Cape Town, and his work forging
racial equality — beginning with his opposition to apartheid in
South Africa — is renowned
throughout the world. His leadership of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission has offered a blueprint to nations across
the globe seeking to recover from war, conflict and brutality. The
Archbishop is known for his unshakable optimism in the face of
overwhelming odds and his limitless faith in the ability of people
to do good works. Over the last decade and a half he has been an
outspoken voice for women's leadership, girls' education and LGBT
rights, addressing climate change and seeking to end the practice
of child brides.
Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert
Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986, the Pacem in Terris
Award in 1987, the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999, the Gandhi Peace
Prize in 2007 and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom
in 2009.
"There are many ways to celebrate Archbishop Emeritus Tutu —
peacemaker, reconciler, champion of human rights of every kind,
recipient of countless awards and hundreds of honorary doctorates,
but this humble man who treads the face of the earth lightly loves
the simplicity of being called 'Father'," said Robert V. Taylor, president of the Desmond Tutu
Peace Foundation. "In the spirit of Holland America Line's
Shared Humanity Award we are invited to be inspired by what the
Archbishop often says: Do your bit of good wherever you are because
every bit of good adds up to change the world."
About the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation
The Archbishop
and his wife, Leah, founded the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy
Foundation in Cape Town and the
Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation in New
York, a nonprofit organization engaging and equipping young
people to be peacemakers and change agents. For more information
visit tutufoundationusa.org.
For more information about Holland America Line, consult a
travel professional, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit
hollandamerica.com.
Editor's note: Photos are available at
https://www.cruiseimagelibrary.com/c/0lqlsygg.
Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland
America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the Online
Communities quick link on the home page at hollandamerica.com.
About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival
Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]
Holland
America Line's fleet of 14 ships
offers more than 500 cruises to more than 400 ports in 98
countries, territories or dependencies around the world. From
shorter getaways to 113-day itineraries, the company's cruises
visit all seven continents, with highlights including Antarctica explorations, South America circumnavigations, Cuba cruises and exotic Australia/New
Zealand and Asia voyages;
four annual Grand Voyages; and popular sailings to the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada and New England, Bermuda, Europe and the Panama Canal. The line welcomed
Koningsdam in 2016 and has a second Pinnacle-class
ship, Nieuw Statendam, to be delivered in
December 2018. A third Pinnacle-class
ship, due for delivery in 2021, recently was announced.
The company is undergoing $300
million in brand enhancements to secure its position as the
leader in premium cruising. Fleetwide, the ships feature innovative
initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on
destination immersion and personalized travel. Guests can expand
their knowledge through an exclusive partnership with O, The Oprah
Magazine; during an America's Test Kitchen show; at Explorations
Café presented by The New York Times;
and by taking a Digital Workshop powered by Windows. Outstanding
entertainment fills each evening at venues including Lincoln Center
Stage, Billboard Onboard and B.B. King's Blues Club. The dining
experience can be savored at a variety of restaurants with menus
that feature selections from Holland America Line's esteemed
Culinary Council, comprising world-famous chefs who design dishes
exclusively for our guests.
CONTACT:
|
Sally
Andrews
|
PHONE:
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800-637-5029
|
EMAIL:
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pr@hollandamerica.com
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SOURCE Holland America Line