Patrick Kennedy To Receive Humanitarian Award At Peter C. Alderman Foundation 10th Anniversary Celebration

NEW YORK , April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Peter C. Alderman Foundation (PCAF), a non-profit organization whose mission is to heal the emotional wounds of victims of terrorism and violence in post-conflict countries around the globe, has announced Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy will receive PCAF's Annual Humanitarian Award and NBC-TV's Erica Hill will be Mistress of Ceremonies at the Foundation's 10^th Anniversary Celebration Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan. (To view the invitation, click here.)

Patrick J. Kennedy is the co-founder of One Mind for Research, a non-profit organization dedicated to curing the diseases of the brain and eliminating the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and brain injuries.

Congressman Kennedy served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Rhode Island's First Congressional District from 1995-2011 and is the author and lead sponsor of the Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This dramatic piece of legislation provides access to mental health treatment to tens of millions of Americans who previously were denied care. Congressman Kennedy has authored and co-sponsored dozens of bills to increase the understanding and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including the National Neurotechnology Initiative Act, the Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act, the COMBAT PTSD Act, and the Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act.

He is the son of the late Edward M. "Teddy" Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.

Garen Staglin, of the Staglin Family Vineyard will present the Award to Congressman Kennedy. "Great wines for great causes" has been Garen and his wife Shari's motto for their business and personal lives. Since they began farming their vineyard in 1985, they have donated and raised nearly $725 million to support charities largely focused on mental health research and treatment.

Erica Hill, the co-anchor of Weekend TODAY and NBC News national correspondent, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies. Prior to joining NBC News, Ms. Hill served as co-host of CBS News' "CBS This Morning, was news anchor and co- host of "The Early Show,"  and  "The Early Show Saturday" and an  anchor and correspondent for CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360".

Entertainment will be provided by Casa Mantequilla, a cross-cultural New York City band that sings in three languages and performs Blues, Funk, Jazz, Arabic, and Latin music.

About the Peter C. Alderman Foundation:
The mission of the Peter C. Alderman Foundation (www.petercaldermanfoundation.org), which was formed in 2003 by Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman to honor their son Peter who was murdered by terrorists in the destruction of the World Trade Center September 11, 2001, is to heal the emotional wounds of victims of terrorism and mass violence by training indigenous health workers and establishing trauma treatment systems in post-conflict countries around the globe.

For more information:
Melissa M. Krantz
Krantz and Company
917-653-6716
[email protected]

SOURCE Peter C. Alderman Foundation