.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, based in Des Moines, has announced six recipients of the first-ever National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy. The honorees will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12. The awards recognize individuals for exemplary work as citizen diplomats and for promoting cultural understanding around the world.

“It is not only the right, but the responsibility of every American to be a citizen diplomat, of the highest quality, for our communities and our country,” said Harriet Mayor Fulbright, board member for the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and the president of the J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center.

In addition to the award and national recognition, a $5,000 cash donation will be awarded on behalf of each honoree to a nonprofit organization of his or her choice.

The honorees are:

Anjali Bhatia of Kinnelon, N.J., who founded Discover Worlds at the age of 16. This student-run nonprofit organization promotes relations between the United States and Rwanda. It focuses on eradicating poverty by enabling orphans of genocide and youths affected by HIV/AIDS to stay in school. Now 19, Bhatia continues to inspire young Americans to make a difference for at-risk students in Rwanda.

Tarik S. Daoud of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. , stands out as a dynamic business leader and active philanthropist. Through organizations like the International Visito’s Council of Metropolitan Detroit, he has championed cross-cultural understanding. Daoud has led international delegations and demonstrated a commitment to community service and diplomacy overseas.

Khris Nedam of Livonia, Mich. , is an elementary school teacher who has also taught in France, Turkey and Afghanistan. Nedam emphasizes world-class citizenship and encourages students to investigate different cultures. With her sixth-grade students, she founded Kids4AfghanKids which has help to restore schools and facilities in Afghanistan.

Greg Mortenson of Bozeman, Mont. , is the co-founder of the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace. Mortenson has raised funds to build 64 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan and has helped more than 25,000 children. He is co-author of The New York Times best seller, Three Cups of Tea.

Jillian H. Poole of Arlington, Va. , mentors with “an unquenchable drive” The Fund for Arts and Culture in Central and Eastern Europe, which she founded in 1991. Her achievements have empowered international arts and cultural institutions that had long relied on government patronage to adjust to a free-market economy.

Donna Tabor of Granada, Nicaragua, works with Building New Hope, a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh. Together they have raised funds to start a school. Tabor has rallied volunteers and opened her home to street children in Nicaragua, feeding them, teaching them to read and providing medical care when needed.

The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 2008 National Summit on Citizen Diplomacy, “The Power of Citizen Diplomacy in a Turbulent World.” The two-day summit aims to recruit, engage and educate more Americans to serve as citizen diplomats, and to recognize and build awareness of citizen diplomacy work currently under way. For more information or to register to attend the 2008 National Summit, visit http://www.uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org.