Points of Light Announces 2017 Tribute Award Honorees

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, NFL player Coty Sensabaugh and his wife Dominique, and wildlife advocates Jack and Suzi Hanna, will be honored for their service to others at Points of Light’s 2017 Tribute Awards at the Embassy of France on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017.

Points of Light, a global nonprofit inspired by former President George H. W. Bush, is the world’s leading volunteer service organization. The Tribute Awards, titled “Changing Lives Through Service,” annually honors individuals who embody the vision of “a thousand points of light” that President Bush first invoked during his acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention.

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer will emcee the sold-out event. Some 300 corporate, nonprofit, and community leaders will gather to honor individuals and organizations whose extraordinary contributions to volunteering and service have made their communities and the world better.

Mr. and Mrs. Neil M. Bush and His Excellency Gérard Araud, ambassador of France to the United States, are hosting the event, along with the event Honorary Chairman
Ambassador C. Boyden Gray, and dinner co-chairs Wally and Sandy Ganzi and Larry Bathgate and Michelle Bengué.

“Points of Light continues to lift up one of the legacies that is most important to my dad, and one that continues to have enormous ripples and impact in communities around the world,” said Neil Bush, chairman of Points of Light’s board of directors and son of President George H. W. Bush. “These extraordinary individuals bring leadership, innovation, and energy to bear on some of the toughest challenges we face as a nation. It is our privilege to recognize them.”

The 2017 Tribute Award honorees are Arnold Schwarzenegger, former California governor, founding chair of R20: Regions of Climate Action, and founder of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Coty Sensabaugh and his wife Dominique, founders of the Sensabaugh Mission Moon, a nonprofit enterprise committed to fighting global poverty; and Jack and Suzi Hanna, co-hosts of the Emmy-award winning TV series “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild,” and ambassador for the Columbus Zoo and The Wilds.

A special Points of Light Lifetime Service Award will be presented to Ambassador C. Boyden Gray for his public service, volunteer leadership on the boards of numerous charitable, educational, and professional organizations, and his longtime support of the Points of Light vision and mission as established by President Bush.

The honorees are representative of the more than 62 million Americans who volunteer their time, talent and resources every year in service to others. The value and impact of volunteering is particularly relevant on the heels of numerous natural disasters, including three major hurricanes and an earthquake. The Points of Light disaster services team supports first responder organizations, like FEMA and the American Red Cross, connects with Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster chapters across the United States to assess the situation, and coordinates with our affiliates and partner organizations in the affected areas to support long-term volunteer engagement in recovery efforts.

About Points of Light

Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

Media Contact:
Janet Staihar
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