The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation presented the 40th Anniversary Gracies Luncheon with Tamron Hall as Host

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Jun 24, 2015, 10:24 ET

NEW YORK, June 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On June 22 The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation presented the 40th Anniversary Gracies Luncheon, which celebrates local, public/non-profit and student awards, to a packed house at the Hilton Midtown in New York City. Tamron Hall hosted the gala and Melanie Martinez performed. Hall presented 61 Gracies to honorees from across the country.

See list of Luncheon Gracies honorees.

View photos from event.

"If you can see it, you can be it and that's what The Gracies are all about," said Tamron Hall, host and reporter on NBC's "TODAY," MSNBC's "NewsNation," and Investigation Discovery's "Deadline: Crime."

Later, Hall stated that seeing Iola Johnson, the first African-American female news anchor for a Dallas television station, inspired her to become a reporter. "I knew I could do it not just because of who I had at home but because of who I saw on the screen."

The Gracies Luncheon is also a platform to award three scholarships. Two $2,500 scholarships were presented from the Ford Motor Company Fund and Alliance for Women in Media Foundation "Emerging Voices" program. The winning students will write original content to be featured on the AWM website during the upcoming months. Content will be announced and showcased on AllWomeninMedia.org as well as AWM's newsletter FastForward and social media outlets. This year's scholarship winners were Amanda Holdsworth, University of Southern California class of 2017, and Jamie Brian, Kent State University class of 2018.

"Henry Ford recognized the need to provide opportunities for women back in the early 1920's, and we are proud to continue that tradition," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "By working with the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, we are providing deserving young women the opportunity to improve their education and meet their full potential."

The third scholarship presented was the "Focus on Disability" scholarship in partnership with the Loreen Arbus Foundation. The AWM Foundation has worked with The Loreen Arbus Foundation since 2009 to focus on the achievements, contributions and stories of citizens with disabilities. The AWM Foundation created The Loreen Arbus "Focus on Disability" Scholarship for aspiring television and filmmakers. This year's scholarship recipient, Amanda Morris, wrote about how the ADA has affected her and her family. In her touching essay, she wrote that The American Disabilities Act should really be renamed the American Abilities Act, because ability is its primary focus.

"The Gracies Luncheon is a special program that portrays the heart of our organization," said Kristen Welch, Alliance for Women in Media Foundation Chair and SVP, Global Content Operations at Discovery Communications, Inc. "We get to celebrate the women who are rising through the ranks and creating exceptional media by, for or about women while also providing scholarships for young women that are the future of the industry."

The Gracies Luncheon is the local, public and student TV and radio awards companion to the The Gracies Gala Awards, presented May 19, 2015 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in LA to interactive media plus national TV and Radio Gracies honorees. This year's Gala honorees included Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hoda Kotb, Renee Montagne, Sadie Calvano and Cicely Tyson.

About the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation:
The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (formerly known as The Foundation of American Women in Radio & Television) supports and promotes educational programs, charitable activities, public service campaigns and scholarships to benefit the public, the electronic media and allied fields. The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation has created partnerships and joint initiatives with the National Middle School Association, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the American Red Cross and other organizations that are philosophically aligned with the mission of the Foundation. The Foundation also supports Empowering America®, an initiative which pays tribute to many of America's most pioneering and inspiring women. Through this program, the Foundation provides Empowering America® educational collateral to needy urban middle schools around the country. The Foundation also produces nationally acclaimed recognition programs, including The Gracies Awards®, honoring exemplary programming created by, for or about women.

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community and global partners to advance driving safety, education and community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 65 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving Skills for Life is free, interactive, hands-on safety training focused on skill development and driving techniques, while addressing inexperience, distractions and impaired driving. Innovation in education is encouraged through Ford Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Next Generation Learning and other inspiring programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer Corps enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to work on local projects that strengthen their communities and improve people's lives in more than 40 countries around the world. For more information, visit http://community.ford.com.

About the Loreen Arbus Foundation:
The Loreen Arbus Foundation supports a broad scope of interests including advocacy for women and girls, scientific and medical research, minorities, people with disabilities, gender and racial equality in media, the arts, animal rights, and global peace. The Foundation has established and funds many scholarships that enhance and elevate social consciousness. Loreen Arbus, currently the President of The Loreen Arbus Foundation, sits on over a dozen nonprofit boards. She received The Heart of Giving Award presented by President Bill Clinton in 2001 and was named one (of 40) Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World 2002. Ms. Arbus holds the distinction of being the first woman to head programming for a U.S. network, a feat accomplished twice (both at Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime). She is the author of six nonfiction books, has written countless articles for many national publications, and was twice nominated for an Emmy Award. Ms. Arbus is a member of the Writers Guild, Producers Guild, the Authors Guild and SAGAFTRA.

SOURCE Alliance for Women in Media