Breast Cancer Race Goes Global
 To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Susan G. Komen breast cancer race on the National Mall — and to highlight the growing breast cancer crisis worldwide, with more 1.3 million diagnosed each year — this year’s Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure officially became known as the Global Race for the Cure.
Among the 45,000 participants and thousands of breast cancer survivors were 21 survivors from 18 countries. Dozens of members of Congress and area diplomats also turned out for the early morning run and walk on Saturday, June 6, which raised $4.3 million. In addition, Prince Alexander II and Princess Katherine of Serbia made the long trip to highlight their own country’s haunting statistics that give Serbia the highest rate of breast cancer in Europe.
 “In just one village, 800 women were diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Princess Katherine. “We need to bring awareness, portable machines to help with early diagnosis … and we need to take the shame away of women losing their breast,” she said, “and educate our men to accept and support breast cancer survivors.”
“There are no borders in suffering,” added Prince Alexander II, appointed by Serbia’s elected government to be responsible for the health of the country. “And there are no borders for Susan G. Komen.”
More than 42 embassy teams — a record — participated. Many otherwise dressed-up ambassadors and their spouses from nations such as Bahrain, Cyprus, Hungary and South Africa donned running gear to join the annual race. More impressive was that the diplomats made the 6 a.m. wake-up call despite the late night before, hosting pre-ball dinners and then attending the National Washington Opera Ball at the German Residence.
It was a stunning mixture of embassies with many new faces. This was Bahrain’s first year, led by its first female ambassador in Washington. Saudi Arabia had 39 team members, while Kazakhstan had 10. Egypt’s sole representative, Ahmed Kamal, the medical counselor at the embassy, waved his country’s flag with great enthusiasm. Other flags and enthusiastic teammates hailed from the embassies of Canada, Barbados, Mexico, Britain, France, Italy, Hungary, South Africa, Ghana, New Zealand, Venezuela and Japan.
Dr. Jill Biden, a longtime advocate for breast health education, and her husband Vice President Joe Biden were also up early and brought their children with them. After thanking the participants, she told the women, men, children and dogs gathered on the Mall, “You are paving the way for a breast cancer-free world.”
More than 27 years ago, Nancy Brinker, former U.S. chief of protocol and ambassador to Hungary, founded the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure as a promise to her 36-year-old sister Susan — who was dying of breast cancer — that Nancy would do everything in her power to end this global scourge.
 “Without a cure, in the next 25 years, an estimated 11 million will die from the disease worldwide,” Brinker warned her fellow runners. “That’s more than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.
“When I started 30 years ago, newspapers wouldn’t even print the words ‘breast cancer,’” added Brinker, a newly appointed ambassador to the World Health Organization, “and people would cross the street when they saw you because they thought you were contagious if you had breast cancer. I knew we needed a grassroots change,” she said. “Today we are in 200 countries with research in 12 countries. I pray that I am smart enough and strong enough to make the real difference.”
Among the 42 embassy teams at this year’s Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure on the National Mall were, from top, the Bahraini Embassy led by Ambassador Houda Nonoo, France, Saudi Arabia as well as Ghana (front page). Bottom photo, Prince Alexander II of Serbia joined Susan G. Komen founder Nancy Brinker, a newly appointed ambassador to the World Health Organization, for the early morning run and walk on June 6 that raised $4.3 million to fight breast cancer.
Photos: Gail Scott
Everyone Wins with Latino Student Fund
The Latino Student Fund (LSF) has proven itself to be a wonderful safety net to the Washington area’s gifted Latino students and their families. Co-founded by LSF Board Chair Rosalia Gutiérrez-Huéte Miller in 1994, this valuable network for worthy Latino students has made dreams come true, year after year. LSF has partnered with private and parochial high schools to ensure equal access to education for Washington-area Latino students.
 At this year’s LSF’s “Showcase of Scholars” held at the Inter-American Development Bank on June 2, the success stories showcased the group’s devotion to students, with fourth-graders who grew up in the loving LSF community having graduated from high schools with straight As — thanks to LSF emotional and financial support — and who are going to enter universities such as Dartmouth, Stanford and Princeton this fall.
LSF’s featured speaker, Anna Bernanke, a teacher and founder of Chance Academy, told the LSF scholars and their families that “we care about you, even if we don’t know you…. LSF wants you to succeed and have a sense of giving back, remembering what this community has done for you.”
Bernanke, accompanied by her husband, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, then reminded everyone that despite today’s tough financial atmosphere, “you must not disappoint your soul — you must pursue your passions. This is a most historic moment to access opportunities … feed your spirit and your mind. Many of us are frightened by change, but the best education you can get is the best protection you can have.”
Other speakers included Dena Henry, a longtime LSF supporter and owner of Mattress Warehouse, and Monica Palmer, enrollment manager for diversity outreach at Madeira School.
The program’s keynoter was Christopher De Souza, who graduated from Gonzaga College High School with a 4.5 GPA and will be going to Dartmouth this fall. “First of all I want to thank my mother who has been with me all the way and worked so hard,” he said of his single mother, Gladys Valenzuela, a native of Peru. “I have been with LSF since fourth grade and I have seen how LSF helps the Latino community prosper,” he added. “We learn that if we work very hard, anything is possible.”
LSF begins at the pre-K level and goes through 12th grade, with college selection assistance. Eighty-four students completed the Latino Student Fund Scholars Program this year. One hundred percent of all LSF students graduate from high school and go to college or university. For more information, call (202) 244-3438 or visit www.latinostudentfund.org.
From left, Latino Student Fund (LSF) co-founder and Board Chair Rosalia Gutiérrez-Huéte Miller; Aaron Wong, a 10th grader at St. Albans School; keynote speaker Christopher DeSouza, who will be attending Dartmouth College; LSF Executive Director Maria Fernanda Borja; Juan Sebastian Roa, a senior at Gonzaga College High School; Jessica Andrade, who will be attending Northeastern University this fall; and LSF Board President Cindy Sanchez attend the Latino Student Fund’s “Showcase of Scholars” held at the Inter-American Development Bank, where more than 60 students who participated in the LSF Scholars Program also showed off their certificates of completion (front page).
Photos: Gail Scott
Young Talent from the Americas
For the first time, the highly successful Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA) is making a North American tour this July and August, stopping in Washington Aug. 6 to 8 to perform and lead workshops with their new partners, the DC Youth Orchestra and the Organization of American States. YOA has performed at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap before but has never planned such an extensive visit to Washington.
At the D.C. kick-off luncheon given by Isabel and Ricardo Ernst for YOA and Hilda Brillembourg, the group’s founder and board chair, three YOA soloists performed to offer a preview of YOA’s upcoming summer tour.
 “Wherever VOA goes, we change lives,” said Brillembourg, who was born in Venezuela. “We have touched 8 million children since 2001, giving these children the incredible gift of music.”
Eight years ago, Youth Orchestra of the Americas was the brainchild of the New England Conservatory and Vision Inc., the supporting organization created by Hilda and Arturo Brillembourg. The original inspiration for YOA came from José Antonio Abreu’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela.
YOA, much like the DC Youth Orchestra, influences the lives of young people in underserved communities. YOA has performed in the world’s most prestigious concert halls. YOA guest artists include Plácido Domingo (also YOA’s artistic advisor), Yo-Yo Ma, Lorin Maazel, Kent Nagano, Leonard Slatkin, Gabriela Montero, Cristina Gallardo-Domâs and Paquito D’Rivera.
Since its inaugural tour in 2002, the orchestra, consisting of young musicians from 18 to 28 years of age, has also performed more than 100 concerts for audiences in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Italy, México, Panama, Pere, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
This summer, following a two-week July residency at Boston’s New England Conservatory, YOA brings 75 orchestra members from 21 different countries for a tour of 11 cities in the United States and Canada, including performances in Boston, New Hampshire, Quebec and finally, Washington. Here the YOA will perform at Strathmore, THEArc and Organization of American States before going on to the Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
YOA musicians are “ambassadors” of each of their countries and the Americas at large. With this summer’s International Youth Music Festival, YOA lays the foundation in Washington for ongoing interaction with the DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP) to return for one- or two-week sessions, several times a year, to teach and inspire D.C. Public School students throughout the year.
In addition to performing, all YOA musicians serve as “teaching artists” to share their musical knowledge and multicultural backgrounds with audiences wherever the orchestra travels. YOA brings symphonic music to those who have little or no access — in a small church outside Montevideo, a community center at the edges of Lima, the favelas of Rio de Janeiro or a park for low-income families on the outskirts of São Paulo. At every opportunity, YOA musicians interact with government, business, civic and arts leaders, so that these young musicians learn important qualities of leadership and become better leaders themselves in their own communities and beyond.
For more information, call (703) 236-0010 or visit www.yoa.org.
From left, hosts Isabel and Ricardo Ernst join Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA) founder Hilda Brillembourg, YOA Executive Director Katarina Weir and YOA Artistic Director Mark Gillespie for a kick-off luncheon in advance of the YOA’s inaugural North American tour later this summer.
Front page photo: Youth Orchestra of the Americas members who performed at the kick-off luncheon were, from left, Nicolas Giordano of Uruguay, Berenika of Canada and Andres Lopera of Colombia.
Photos: Gail Scott
Exploitive Global Enterprise
At a May benefit for Innocents at Risk, French Ambassador Pierre Vimont not only offered his residence but his congratulations to founder Debbie Sigmund and her organization for fighting the $32 billion annual international sex trafficking industry of women and young children. “This is also something we care about deeply about in France,” the ambassador said, “and we applaud what you are doing here.”
 During the evening reception, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) accepted a special award from the nonprofit for her strong leadership in Congress. According to Innocents at Risk founder Debbie Sigmund, “Carolyn has worked tirelessly to combat human trafficking through her work on the Hill.”
Senior American Airlines flight attendant Sandra Fiorini was also honored for her work on the organization’s Flight Attendant Initiative to reach within the airline community itself to alert authorities of suspicious behavior onboard their carriers. Begun in 2008, this initiative has already encouraged hundreds of flight attendants to call a hotline (888-373-7888) to alert authorities of possible trafficking cases. The initiative is supported by the U.S. State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Customs Border Control and countless nongovernmental organizations around the world.
All the proceeds from the Innocents at Risk spring benefit will be used to expand the initiative to reach 50,000 more flight attendants at American Airlines and other carriers.
According to Innocents at Risk, the lucrative sex trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world, second only to the international drug industry. The numbers are indeed staggering. Every year, more than 3 million women and children are sold into servitude, including 300,000 trafficked within U.S. borders.
For more information, call (202) 6250-4338 or visit www.innocentsatrisk.org.
From left, French Ambassador Pierre Vimont, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Innocents at Risk founder Debbie Sigmund, and senior American Airlines flight attendant Sandra Fiorini, who heads Innocents at Risk’s Flight Attendant Initiative, attend the Innocents at Risk spring benefit held at the French Residence.
Photos: Gail Scott
Courting the Arts
What’s not to love at the Arts for the Aging Annual Mixed Doubles Tournament? Washington-area tennis players get to play in front of an appreciative audience and help a great cause. And for those on the sidelines, the audience is invited to an outdoor awards ceremony and enchanting dinner at the Swedish Residence, as guests of Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafström and his wife Eva. Both tennis enthusiasts, the Hafströms have already promised to host next year’s 20th annual tournament for this local organization started by Lolo Sarnoff to help bring the color, texture and fun of art to Washington-area seniors.
 “It’s always fun, but we didn’t play very well this morning,” said Eva Hafström candidly. “In fact, we lost. But we have been so busy with a steady stream of visiting ministers that we have hardly had any time to practice, especially with all the rain this year.”
Ambassador Hafström couldn’t have been happier if he had won. “I love doing this,” said this 61-year-old diplomat exuberantly; “Lolo is an inspiration. Every morning when I get up at 5:30 and I feel old, I think of Lolo and then I go out and run. Lolo shows us all the way to go and go on forever!”
Appropriately, this year’s 19th tournament brought in $19,000 for Lolo Sarnoff’s organization, which has worked with 1,000 participants in 800 programs including painting, drawing, sculpture, dance, music, storytelling, poetry, intergenerational programs and museum and cultural outings. Because of fundraisers like this, there is no cost to the seniors or the 37 underserved day care centers, nursing homes and community centers where Arts for the Aging (AFTA) provides programs.
AFTA has even taken their show on the road beyond America’s borders. Last January, the group trained 25 professionals with the Haydeé Palacios Dance Company in Nicaragua to replicate the programs here for 90 Nicaraguan seniors in three nursing homes.
Washingtonian Allie Ritzenberg, founder of the St. Albans Tennis Club and the world’s number-one tennis player among men ages 85 and older, was there again this year to check on his old students. In addition, there were several new attractions for the one-day tennis tournament played on private and embassy courts all over town. For the first time, there was a tennis exhibition that included Davis Cup and Olympic alum Richey Reneberg, Korean Davis Cup Team Player and Olympian Chi Wan Kim and other notable players.
In all, 82 players ventured onto the courts on May 31 to help fund 136 visual, performing and literary arts programs for older adults, especially those living with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Although Lolo herself “hasn’t played in years” and only took up tennis because “my husband Stanley made me,” this avid golfer was thrilled with the best turnout ever — though she admitted, “Every year is the best for me.”
Arts for the Aging (AFTA) founder Lolo Sarnoff, left, joins Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafström at the 19th AFTA Mixed Doubles Tennis Tournament awards ceremony held for the fourth year at the Swedish Residence with host and tennis enthusiast Jonas Hafström and his wife Eva. Pictured on the front page are “Flight A” tournament winners Juan Jay-Singh, left, and Sherrie Long, who will take turns keeping the Lolo Sarnoff-designed lucite AFTA Tennis Trophy until they have to give it back at the next tournament in 2010.
Photo: Gail Scott
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