[2001 Celebration of Champtions]
[Cincinnati Enquirer Editorial]
The Smith Family Foundation's The Secret of Living is Giving award
is presented annually to a few extraordinary givers. It is bestowed
to those rare individuals who encourage and nurture our youth by teaching
them the timeless value of serving others. The award depicts two images,
each highly symbolic of the Foundation's mission and vision.
 |
|
Bob Leibold Photo May 2000 |
Michelangelo's famous image of God giving the gift of life to humanity
is at the top of the award. It's there to remind us that He wants all
His beloved children to pass on the spark of love expressed by selfless
service to one another.
Set into the front of the base is a golden Secret of Living is Giving medallion.
According to Christian tradition, the pelican represents not only strength, grace
and endurance, but a community helping each of its members. Legend says that when
there is no food for her family, the selfless pelican tears her breast. She then
feeds her young with her own blood, thereby making the ultimate
sacrifice for youth and community. As the pelican finds strength in
giving to others, it is our intense hope that our community's young
people will find that same strength and learn the secret of living is
giving.
May God help us all to become those inspiring role models our youth
so desperately need today by becoming givers - not takers - in this world!
Letter
Honoring...
Guests
Emcees
Guest Speaker
The Award
Dinner Reservations
Dear Friend,
Great accomplishments start with dreams - and dreams are brought to fulfillment by
unswerving dedication, preparation and plain hard work.
Rudy Ruettiger has dreamed dreams and made them reality. In the process,
he's shown us how we can make a difference in the lives of people everywhere.
Rudy will be sharing his message of hope, determination and inspiration at the
Smith Family Foundation's third annual Celebration of Champions tribute dinner.
We urge you to join us as we honor individuals who have had an extraordinary impact
on the lives of young people.
When I founded the Smith Family Foundation five years ago, my dream
was to encourage young people to be of service to others. I wanted
them to discover the truth of our foundation's motto: "The Secret
of Living is Giving." I've worked hard to make that dream come true
and have been blessed with the help of my family and many friends.
I've also learned anew the truth of that maxim, "Together we can move
mountains."
The people we will be honoring at the Celebration of Champions are "mountain
movers." By being a part of this special evening, you will let them know you
recognize they have made a difference in the lives of young people, and have
encouraged those young people to do the same for others. This cycle of service
is as old as time, as full of hope as the face of a trusting child, and bounded
only by the dimensions of our dreams.
Our mission at the Smith Family Foundation is to serve youth around
the world. That's a tall order. But as Rudy advises, you have to dream
big. We've made a good start at making a reality of our dream, of encouraging
service, kindness, thought for others - in short: promoting Christian values.
We have more work to do, of course, for so many young people are in desperate
need of a beacon in the darkness of their lives. We hope you'll become a part
of that work by joining us on September 25th. I look forward to seeing you.
Sincerely,
Gale E. Smith
Founder and CEO
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Honoring...
Barbara Condo &
Albert E. Brown
Tuesday, September 25, 2001
| Registration |
|
6:00 pm |
| Dinner |
|
7:00 pm |
| Guest Speaker |
|
Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger |
The Secret of Living is Giving Award Presentation by
Cleaster Whitehurst-Mims & C. Dean Gregory
Angel Award Medallion Presentations Emcees
Hagit Limor & Courtis Fuller
Dr. Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center
Business Attire
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Guests
|
Rudy Ruettiger |
Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger
dared to dream a dream then he made that dream come true.
Attending the University of Notre Dame and playing football
there. Rudy's struggles and triumphs, chronicled in the movie
"Rudy," thrilled and inspired audiences everywhere. Today, Rudy
is an acclaimed motivational speaker and, with his wife, Cheryl,
has established the Rudy Foundation to support programs that "help
children around the world to reach their full potential." |
C. Dean Gregory &
Cleaster V. Mims |
C. Dean Gregory entered his family's business at age 12 as a
busboy and dishwasher at the Montgomery Inn. Today, as managing
partner of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse, he says his duties still
include bussing tables and washing dishes, but he also finds time
for his family's tradition of community involvement. A 1999 recipient
of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Tiffany Award, his
community activities include the Cincinnati Scholarship
Foundation, American Cancer Society, Childrens Hospital, and the
One Way Farm.
Cleaster Whitehurst-Mims returned to college after work, marriage,
and raising a son to graduate cum laude from Xavier University in 1970.
Today, she is a full-time professor at Xavier, CEO and Board President
of the Marva Collins Preparatory School, an educational consultant, and
a motivational speaker. She has been recognized as one of President
George Bush's "Thousand Paints of Light," as an Ohio Hometown
Hero, and has received the NAACP's Marian Wright Elderman Service Award. |
|
Barbara Condo |
Barbara Condo says she created One Way Farm Children's Home "to
mend the broken minds, bodies, and spirits of children." Drawing on
her own experience as an abused child and with "the help of untold
people that could only have been sent by God." Barbara has seen
One Way Farm serve over 8,000 children. Barbara has been Executive
Director of One Way Farm since she founded it in 1976. |
|
Albert B. Brown |
Albert Brown, a 25-year veteran of the Cincinnati Police Division,
started Computer COP in 1992 to build a bridge of communication
between police and young people. using "edutainment" software as a
catalyst, Computer COP lets law enforcement officers and youth
interact in a relaxed, non-threatening environment where they can
build trust and respect for each other. Computer COP now has 12
sites and has served over 3,000 young people. |
|
Anthony & Dede
Munoz
|
Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz is a tireless spokesman
for families, community, and Christian values, and a fundraiser for
worthy causes. His many NFL achievements and awards are matched by
such community recognition as the Forty-Second Annual Ohio
Governor's Awards for improving the quality of life for all
Ohioans. He is the spokesperson for the Character Council of
Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, a non-profit
organization dedicated to encouraging good character. |
Emcees
|
Hagit Limor &
Courtis Fuller |
Hagit Limor's news assignments have taken her throughout the
U.S., Central America, and Europe, and she has won multiple Emmy
Awards as writer and reporter at WCPO-TV, where she is also a news
anchor. She is very active in numerous community organizations.
Courtis Fuller, news co-anchor for WLWT-TV, also produces
and hosts the award winning public affairs program "issues in
Cincinnati." His many honors include the Martin Luther King,
Jr. Leadership Award, and he is very active in community affairs. |
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Guest Speaker
When Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger sacked the opposing quarterback in the
only play of his college career at Notre Dame, he could have been content
knowing he had dreamed an impossible dream and made it come true. But that
moment of glory was the beginning of a new dream for Rudy, who set out to
convince Hollywood to turn his story into a motion picture. Nine years of
dogged determination later, "Rudy" became a big-screen hit that inspired
and thrilled millions of viewers. Rudy went on to become an author and motivational
speaker, and to dream an even bigger dream, the Rudy Foundation, whose mission is
nothing less than "to change lives and impact children around the world
with the YES I CAN attitude."
Third child of 14 in the family of an oil refinery worker, Rudy grew
up watching the Fighting Irish on television and determined that he
would play in the shadow of the Golden Dome at South Bend. But people
told him this was too big a dream, too far a leap, too much to expect.
Dream smaller, they said, dream practical. Instead, Rudy went to work
to make his dream come true, doing all he could, every day, until he
became the only player at Notre Dame ever carried off the field on the
shoulders of his teammates.
Today, Rudy inspires others to dream impossible dreams, and tells them
how to make those dreams come true. He inspires audiences as diverse as
corporate leaders and grade school children, professional athletes and
university students, telling them to always have a dream, never quit,
prepare, focus, and struggle. "Dreams change lives... the power of life
is in your dreams!" Rudy says.
His dream for the Rudy Foundation is that it will "help children from
all nations one child at a time... step by step... Dream by Dream." In
order to "develop better families and change generations." The foundation
offers on-line continuing education and mentoring programs, and educational
scholarships. It also administers the Rudy Leadership Camp and the Rudy Award
Program, which recognizes outstanding, determined young people who dream, set
goals, and make commitments.
"Always have a Dream," Rudy tells people. "Focus on your Dream
and never quit... By achieving your Dream you will be an inspiration
to others. you will set an example and make an enormous impact on the
world. Make it happen!"
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The Secret of Living is Giving Award
The Smith Family Foundation's The Secret of Living is Giving Award
is presented annually to a few extraordinary givers. It is bestowed
to those rare individuals who encourage and nurture our youth by teaching
them the timeless value of serving others. The award depicts two images,
each highly symbolic of the Foundation's mission and vision.
According to Christian tradition, the pelican represents not only
strength, grace and endurance, but a
community helping each of its members. Legend says that when there
is no food for her family, the
selfless pelican tears her breast. She then feeds her
young with her own blood, thereby making the ultimate sacrifice for
youth and community. As the pelican finds strength in giving to others,
it is our intense hope that our community's young people will find that
same strength and learn the secret of living is giving.
Michelangelo's famous image of God giving the gift of life to humanity
is at the top of the award. It's there to remind us that He wants all
His beloved children to pass on the spark of love expressed by selfless
service to one another.
May God help us all to become those inspiring role models our youth so
desperately need today by becoming givers - not takers - in this world!
Congratulations, Champions!
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Dinner Reservations
If you are interested in additional information on attending the dinner, please
e-mail Gale Smith.
Celebration of Champions 2000
