Hungarian American Coalition News, 2008 (16. évfolyam, 1. szám)
2008 / 1. szám
We have four major fraternal events every year that raise money for our scholarship fund and give the members a chance to get together: a bowling tournament dating back to 1942; a golf tournament started in 1983; we sponsor a Hungarian Heritage Week at our property Penn Scenic View in Rockwood, PA; and in September we have our annual Fraternal Fest Picnic at Penn Scenic View where we share good times, Magyar music and food while enjoying the great outdoors. Penn Scenic View is our 180 acre property that has cabins, two lodges, a lake and a pavilion where our members can come to relax and spend time with their family and friends. All the proceeds from the activities mentioned above have generated donations to our scholarship fund. Since 1972 we have given in excess of $2,000,000.00 to students attending college or culinary school. Our monthly publication, the William Penn Life, has a circulation of 17,000 copies. Two years ago the Association started selling a new cookbook that also makes money for the scholarship fund. To date this year the book has raised $10,000.00. Our Board of Directors is comprised of 14 people who realize the importance of providing for its members in a way that promotes financial security and Hungarian culture. In the spirit of cooperation not competition we are ready to join in the effort to keep the Magyar lifestyle alive and well in the USA. We welcome any opportunity to share ideas, expand our membership and join with other Hungarian groups in a united front beneficial to all. For more information, please visit: http://www.williampennassociation.org Hungarian Human Rights Foundation Remarks by Zsolt Szekeres, Director The Hungarian Human Rights Foundation (HHRF), is a private, independent non-governmental, 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of New-York. Founded in 1976, originally as Committee for Human Rights in Rumania, its main mission was to combat the false propaganda of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Over time HHRF became the only professional organization with a full-time paid staff in the West, devoted to help Hungarian minorities in Central Europe to be heard providing assistance through numerous educational, cultural and advocacy programs. HHRF's main programs are the following: The 785-member European Parliament (EP) was the forum which deliberated Romania's candidacy to join the European Union. With the Romanian Government spoon feeding the Parliamentarians with false or incomplete information, it was essential to balance the propaganda with first-hand data from Transylvania. Through its Kolozsvár, Romania office, HHRF maintains close ties with the Hungarian community, its leaders and institutions, and specializes in gathering and preparing steady streams of reliable information. HHRF approached key members of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee and provided them with factual information. After a new government was formed in Slovakia in July 2006 with two extremist, openly anti-Hungarian parties the situation for Hungarians has taken a sharp turn for the worse. The most egregious human rights violation occurred last summer when an ethnic Hungarian student, Hedvig Maiina, was savagely beaten for speaking her native language. HHRF issued several reports to raise awareness of this ongoing injustice and to speak out on behalf of Ms. Malina. In addition to assuring that policymakers have upto-date, pertinent facts on the human rights condition of Hungarian minorities, HHRF actively contributes to the cultural, educational and economic revitalization of Central Europe's centuries-old Hungarian minority communities. HHRF maintains an Internet portal which today hosts the homepages of 109 ethnic Hungarian newspapers, schools, NGOs and religious denominations in the Carpathian Basin. HHRF also has an internship and exchange program, which brought 41 young people from all over the world to its offices in New York and Budapest for extended periods. For more information, please visit: http://www.hhrf.org i}c % Hungarian American Coalition - June 2008 - 7
