August 14, 2008: The 2008 ATLANTA 1996 Peace & Reconciliation Through Sports and Education (PARSE) Prize
The Peace & Reconciliation Through Sports and Education: The PARSE prize recognizes people who have accomplished, and still strive to bring, peace and reconciliation through sport and education. This is definitely not a lifetime achievement award. PARSE recognition is meant to be a commendation of the highest order that not only rewards past achievement, but also inspires, motivates, and challenges the recipient to reach deeper into the concepts that are embodied by the ultimate ideals of Peace, Education, and the Olympic Movement. Therefore, the ATLANTA 1996 created the PARSE prize directly from the ATLANTA 1996 Mission Statement: Peace & Reconciliation Through Sports and Education!”.
The first 6 recipients of the 2008 Parse Prize are:
Mr. Mario VÁZQUEZ RAÑA (Mexico)
General Lassana PALENFO (Ivory Coast)
HRH Prince Feisal AL HUSSEIN (Jordan)
Dean GREENAWAY (British Virgin Islands)
Joel BOUZOU (France)
Essar GABRIEL (Lebanon/France)
Summer 2006, Peace & Reconciliation Music Festival
During the 2006 Atlanta 1996 Centennial Foundation & ATLANTA 1996 European Tour, a one week Music Festival will be organized in the mountains of Haute Savoie at the CAS University Campus in Collonges Sous Salève (France).
Fall 2004 - Spring 2005, Peace & Reconciliation Program through Music
The Atlanta Virtuosi Chorale (AVC) and the Buckhead Youth Orchestra (BYO) are the first recipients of the Atlanta 1996 Centennial Foundation annual grant to recruit poor children with a demonstrated talent, and provide them scholarships to either sing or perform, and be part of a concert series sponsored by the Atlanta 1996 Centennial Foundation and the ATLANTA 1996 promoting the Peace & Reconciliation theme.
Funded by the Gertrude & William C. WARDLAW Fund (Atlanta, GA)
June 13-21, The 2004 Atlanta 1996 Centennial Foundation & ATLANTA 1996 European Tour
In the Summer of 2000, the 2004 Atlanta 1996 Centennial Foundation & ATLANTA 1996 Europe Tour was just a concept, and 4 years later a reality. From June 13, 2004 through the 21st, under the baton of Maestro Juan R. RAMIREZ (Composer, Music Director, Member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), 68 Atlanta musicians with the Atlanta Virtuosi Chorale (AVC), Buckhead Youth Orchestra (BYO), and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) gave concerts at the University campus of CAS (Campus Adventiste du Salève) in Collonges Sous Salève, France (7 km from Geneva, Switzerland), and in Monaco under the Patronage of Prince Albert of MONACO.
At the Collonges Sous Salève concert, the Atlanta musicians performed to a packed auditorium that gave them three standing ovations (the first ever in 20 years of performances in that auditorium). The audience was quite taken by the sounds of Suite Criolla by Juan R. RAMIREZ, an accomplished Mexican composer. At the Monaco Sporting in Monaco, AVC and BYO musicians’ “Sister Act” performance was based on American gospels, and was extremely well received.
Funded: Gertrude & William C. WARDLAW Fund, Paul NEWMAN
December 2003, "Challenge HOPE" Championships, Martyrs Stadium, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Because of the war and the political unrest in the DRC, these were the first track & field championships to be organized in 6 years.
Funded: Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI), Washington D.C., DITC (Atlanta, GA)
December 2001, Peace & Reconciliation Half Marathon, Bujumbura, Burundi
Funded: William C. WARDLAW and Kelly JORDAN