Thursday, October 16, 2008

Joan Velasquez Accepts Shriver Award


Joan Velasquez Accepts Shriver Award

"Last week Segundo attended the dedication of a new road that Mano a Mano constructed in the high Andes. Before that road was built, area farmers had to travel for three days to reach the nearest market, a trip that they simply could not afford to make. Now they will be on a truck route and will arrive in less than an hour. As we celebrate here this evening, these farmers are planting grapes and vegetables because they have a way to get them to market."

At an October 3 reception in San Francisco, Joan Velasquez (Bolivia 67-69) received the 2008 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service.

Joan and her husband Segundo co-founded Mano a Mano, a non-profit organization that has improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Bolivians. In her acceptance speech she spoke eloquently of how determined volunteers can reach across national boundaries to make a real difference in the lives of others.