Ross Marine confers “Award of Excellence” to Mary Jean Eisenhower
The Consular Corps of Greater Kansas City announces that Mary Jean Eisenhower is the first recipient of its Award of Excellence. The award is in recognition of Ms. Eisenhower’s many years of humanitarian service as Chief Executive Officer of People to People International (PTPI). The award is given to a community resident or organization that has exhibited leadership and achievement in the areas of international understanding and goodwill. The award was bestowed the evening of November 6, 2013 at a ceremony held at Dentons International Law Firm, 4520 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111.
Eisenhower’s contributions have included founding the People to People International Friendship Fund (IFF). To date, the fund has provided assistance to causes such as the Global Humanitarian Eradication of Landmines; Children’s Mercy Hospital in London, England; Earthquake relief in India; disaster relief to victims of September 11, 2001 and their families; support of underprivileged schools in China and Sri Lanka; a home for leukemia victims and their families in Cuba; a library project in Vietnam; tsunami relief in Sri Lanka; and Friends of Egypt, among many others.
“Through the years and her tireless efforts, Mary has become a global inspiration for peace and cultural exchange. The Consular Corps of Greater Kansas City feels privileged to recognize her lifetime achievements with our first Award of Excellence,” said Ross Marine, Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic to the Midwest USA, and a member of the PTPI Board of Trustees.
Eisenhower was also instrumental in the creation of the PTPI sponsored Peace Camp and Global Peace initiatives, which bring together people from diverse areas and nationalities to discuss issues and reach a better understanding of their unique and individual cultures. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mary’s grandfather, founded People to People International on September 11, 1956. Mary joined PTPI hoping to carry on her grandfather’s dream, it has become her life’s work and she has carry the mission and the founder’s dream ardently as her own.
About the Consular Corps of Greater Kansas City
The Consular Corps of Greater Kansas City (CCGKC) exists as a group to foster and advance an esprit de corps amongst our members; and to promote and foster goodwill and cooperation between our countries and the United States.
The CCGKC presently consists of 26 consulates (2 career and 24 honorary). Career consular officers are appointed by their Head of State or Foreign Minister and are full-time servants of their government. Honorary consular officers are United States citizens and need not possess the nationality of the country they serve and are generally appointed to provide a degree of Consular representation in areas not covered by career consular officers. All career and honorary consular officials are accredited by the U.S. Department of State in accordance with the terms of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
The corps strives to increase cooperation and communication among its members; increase awareness of foreign and international issues in the region; and provide information to area residents about visas, laws, regulations, passport issues and more that pertains to each host country.
For more information about the Consular Corps of Greater Kansas City, contact Gino Serra, Honorary Vice Consul Of Italy and Secretary General of The Consular Corps of Greater Kansas City, at Gino.Serra@BryanCave.com or (816) 374-3350.