The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office commemorated their 13th Anniversary event at the historic Fraser Mansion in Washington, DC, bringing the community together to honor individuals and groups for their humanitarian efforts to improve society through the arts. Executive Director Beth Akiyama gave an overview of the National Affairs Office's work over the last year in the fields of the arts, human rights, disaster response, drug education, and the protection of religious freedom internationally.
Following the overview, the Arts Humanitarian Awards were presented. The inspiration for the awards is a quote from humanitarian and Founder of Scientology L. Ron Hubbard: "A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamed by artists." The first award was for the First Friday: Dupont Circle Art Walk, organized and promoted by the Dupont Circle Business Improvement District (BID). Held every month, the Art Walk highlights Dupont Circle's art galleries, embassies and other organizations, opening up these hidden gems to the community free of charge. The executive director of the BID, William (Bill) McLeod, accepted the award from Reverend Susan Taylor of the Church of Scientology. "It's been a pleasure to work with the galleries and organizations and the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office for all of these years," McLeod said.
The next awardee was Dr. Kate Ndi, founder and CEO of the Miss Africa USA pageant. Through Dr. Ndi's work, young African women living in the United States are empowered to become leaders, promoting their unique African cultures through traditional dress and artistic performances. Participants are required to have a humanitarian platform such as human rights, disability rights, the arts, or education. In July, she led a delegation of Miss Africa USA finalists to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, where they represented six countries at the Youth for Human Rights International Summit, sponsored by the Church of Scientology International. When she accepted the award, Dr. Ndi called several pageant participants to join her, stressing that they helped earn the award: "This award is about using the arts through fashion and cultural enrichment to impact humanity and make the world a better place."
The final award was a Lifetime Achievement Arts Humanitarian Award given to Chateau and John Gardecki, founders of the Washington International Piano Arts Council (WIPAC). It was 25 years ago that their love of classical piano music first led them to inspire adult, nonprofessional pianists to enter the WIPAC competition. The competition fosters appreciation of classical music while acknowledging those who play simply for the love of music. In accepting the award, Chateau thanked her board members and all who helped make WIPAC successful, saying, "Love only grows if you share it." John Gardecki, a highly accomplished amateur pianist, performed three classical piano pieces. Chateau thanked long-time champion of WIPAC, embassy liaison Rhoda Septilici, who first introduced WIPAC to the National Affairs Office in 2013.
The event underscored the commitment of the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office to recognizing and supporting individuals who enrich society through their humanitarian efforts. The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office represents the Church in the Nation's Capital and works with many organizations to improve human rights, criminal law reform, drug education, and religious freedom internationally.
