Advisory: Secretary Merrill to Celebrate Immigrant Day April 14th
Harris, Av
Denise Merrill
Secretary of the State
Connecticut
For Immediate Release: For more information:
April 1, 2011 Av Harris: (860) 509-6255
Cell: (860) 463-5939
- Press Release -
Secretary Merrill to Join Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition in Honoring Immigrants and their Contributions
Rwanda Genocide Survivor Daniel Ndamwizeye to Give Keynote Address for 14th Annual Immigrant Day Ceremony
Hartford: Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced today that the Secretary of the State’s Office will again be partnering with the Connecticut Immigrant and refugee Coalition (CIRC) to host the 14th annual “Immigrant Day” at the State Capitol. Immigrant Day honors immigrants from Connecticut, and celebrates their long lasting contributions to their communities and professions. Immigrant Day will be held on Thursday, April 14th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Old Judiciary Room of the State Capitol, honoring 18 immigrants who live in Connecticut. A complete list of honorees can be found at the end of this news release.
“It is our pleasure here at the State Capitol to host the 14th annual Immigrant Day. Immigrants play an important role in the diversity and vitality of both the state of Connecticut and our society as a whole,” said Secretary Merrill. “This day will showcase the lasting impact that each of our honorees has had on their own community, and highlight the valuable contributions all immigrants have made here in Connecticut. The success our country has experienced has always been indebted to the hard work of immigrants, and we must never cease to forget their tireless contributions.”
Secretary Merrill, along with other state dignitaries, will be honoring 18 immigrants from across the state, including this year’s keynote speaker Daniel Ndamwizeye. Daniel Ndamwizeye, also known as Daniel Trust, is a motivational speaker and entrepreneur originally from Rwanda who is currently and undergraduate student at Southern Connecticut State University studying Business Administration. Ndamwizeye survived the brutal 1994 genocide in Rwanda, but lost both parents and two sisters. Mr. Ndamwizeye, who is fluent in five languages, is the founder and chairman of the D-Trust Foundation, established in 2010 to assist orphaned children in their educational and career goals. Daniel Ndamwizeye’s last name means “I trust him” in Kinyarwanda, a language spoken in Rwanda.
Secretary Merrill will also be joining the CIRC in presenting the Myra M. Oliver Award to Mark Stephanou of Norwich. The Myra M. Oliver Award is given to those who work above and beyond the call of duty to help refugees and immigrants, in memory of Myra M. Oliver’s lifetime of leadership and service. Stephanou was born and raised in Norwich and graduated from Bucknell University. He began working for then Congressman Chris Dodd in 1980 as a caseworker in the Norwich office, specializing in immigration and citizenship issues. He followed Congressman Dodd to the United States Senate and served Senator Dodd as director of constituent services in his Hartford and Wethersfield offices until the Senator’s retirement in 2010. During that time, he had the opportunity and privilege to work with Myra Oliver herself and the staff of the International Institute in helping Connecticut’s immigrant community.
Immigrant Day is an annual event sponsored by the Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (CIRC) and the Secretary of the State’s Office. The general public may RSVP by contacting Robert Fishman at (860) 727-5701 or jf...@mcmgmt.com.
The Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee coalition is an association of ethnic and social service organizations working to promote the rights and opportunities of immigrants and refugees in Connecticut, and to foster their civic participation.
April 14th, 2011 – 14th Annual Immigrant Day Honorees
Country of Origin CT Residence
Keynote Speaker
Daniel Ndamqizeye Rwanda Bridgeport
Honorees
Franck Adjisegbe Benin Westport
Dr. Ali Antar Egypt Bristol
Dr. Patrick Asiedu Ghana Orange
Marilou Dusyn Philippines Hartford
Dr. Faquir Jain India Mansfield
Laurie Julian South Korea Bloomfield
Dr. Eitan Kilchevsky Israel Newtown
Josef Kleszczynski Poland West Hartford
Danelle Ragoonanan-Storph Trinidad Stamford
Syed Raza Pakistan Glastonbury
Manuel Rodrigues Portugal Coventry
Catalina Samper-Horak Colombia Darien
Quynh Tran Vietnam West Hartford
Hazmira Udovcic Bosnia Hartford
Natasha Ulyanovsky Ukraine Newington
Rev. Joscelyn Williams Jamaica Bloomfield
Dr. Emmett Wilson Guyana Windsor
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Av Harris
Director of Communications
Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill
(860) 509-6255 ofc
(860) 463-5939 cell