Peace Islands Institute Annual Gala 2014

Chirlane McCray, The First Lady of New York City
Chirlane McCray, The First Lady of New York City


Date posted: December 31, 2014

New York City’s First Lady and top diplomats speak at Peace Islands Institute Gala

New York City’s First Lady, United Nations Ambassadors, Korean Cultural Center Service, iHeart Radio Host, Tiffany & Co. Ambassador, a Broadway singer and international pianist joined forces to celebrate a peacebuilding movement.

On November 20, 2014 Peace Islands Institute hosted an audience of 250 people at its Annual Gala at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The gala featured a silent auction, live appeal, dinner and exciting live performances.

The evening was a celebration of Peace Islands Institute’s youth programs, interfaith programs and global programs. Chirlane McCray, The First Lady of New York City, captured the spirit of the event, “On behalf of all New Yorkers, thank you for everything you do to bring people from different cultures together and help them find a common cause.” she said.

Helen Little, midday host for iHeart Radio’s WLTW- 106.7 Lite FM, served as Mistress of Ceremonies.

The Korean Cultural Service NY, Tiffany & Co.’s Tony Vaughn, Broadway singer Amy Rivard and international pianist Paul Knight provided entertainment.

The night concluded with an interactive live appeal that encouraged audience members to donate to their favorite programs. During the live appeal Narinder Kakar, UN Permanent Observer of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Mamadou Tangara, UN Ambassador from The Gambia, implored the audience to give. In less than 30 minutes, the live appeal raised $300,000 for Peace Islands Institute’s programs.

Source: Peace Islands Institute , December 16, 2014


Related News

New Jersey’s Peace Islands Institute Holds Iftar At Community Center

The practice of fasting in religions other than Islam was explored June 17 during a Ramadan Iftar held at the township Community/Senior Center in the Municipal Complex. Speakers representing Judaism and Christianity spoke about fasting in their faith traditions during the event, which was sponsored by the Peace Islands Institute.

Fethullah Gülen: An Islamic sign of hope for an inclusive Europe

Thus Gülen and the initiatives inspired by his teaching challenge the tendency found among some Muslims groups to separatist withdrawal from the wider non-Muslim society. By contrast, they offer a basis for Muslim engagement with the wider society based upon a confident and richly textured Islamic vision.

PKK terrorism, piety and the Gülen movement

Adem Palabıyık*, March 29, 2012 A Chinese proverb notes that if you kill somebody, you intimidate thousands of others. To this end, the assaults against the Zaman offices in Europe by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) supporters in recent times appear to be relevant to this proverb. Intimidation… But why the Gülen movement? The reason for […]

Gulen’s peace award: Upswing in Islam’s global image?

For centuries, the relationship between western and Islamic civilization has been edgy, due largely to the misconceptions that each of the two civilizations have for each other. Series of international debates have been held across Europe, Asia and Africa on the conflict of between Islamic and other civilizations.

Irvine’s new arrivals — Turkish asylum seekers, after a failed coup and a sadly successful purge

The man, who ran a nonprofit that provided humanitarian aid, doesn’t want to be identified because he fears for the safety of the wife and two children he was forced to leave in Turkey. They are hidden in a different city, he said, not far from his hometown. They’ve thrown away their cellphones and erased their social media accounts for fear of being tracked down by a government that no longer welcomes them.

‘Fethullah Gulen is one of the leading Islamic thinkers in the world’

I think the Gulen, or Hizmet, Movement represents Islam by, on the one hand, maintaining a strong connection to and being rooted in the Islamic primary sources, such as the Qur’an and the Prophetic teachings, but, at the same time, not neglecting the world around it.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

The Turkish assassin is a product of Tayyip Erdogan’s incitement

US-based Turkish NGOs launch aid campaign for Syrian refugees

Turkey seizes another baklava maker over coup charges, appoints deputy governor as caretaker

Targeted by dictator, Turkish family seeks refuge in Albany

A headscarved woman at the April 24 commemoration

Indialogue’s Iftar Dinner: Role of Religions in Empowering Women

The International Festival of Language and Culture visits UN, Ban Ki Moon sends a message

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News