Those of us in our Lions Club who went to the Riverside District Convention in November 2007 will ever forget the keynote address by Father Chris Riley. Now his work has been recognised by Lions Clubs International.
"INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD A FIRST FOR AUSTRALIA :- FATHER CHRIS RILEY.
1st May 2009 – Father Chris Riley, the founder of ‘Youth Off The Streets,’ has achieved international recognition as the 2009 recipient of the Lions International Humanitarian Award. The Award is presented annually and comes with a $200,000 cash prize to assist him to continue his important work.
Father Riley is the first Australian to receive this award in its history. Previous recipients include former U. S. President Jimmy Carter and Mother Teresa and Nobel Prize winning Economist, Muhammad Yunus. Fr Riley will be officially presented with the award in Minneapolis later this year at the International Convention.
International President of the Lions Service Club organisation, Al Brandel, first met Father Chris Riley at the 201T1 Lions Convention in Tasmania, where he moved the hearts of the participants speaking about the lives of young people touched by the 'Youth Off The Streets' program. Al Brandel, as a recently retired New York City police officer, is no stranger to dealing with troubled youth, and was so impressed that on his return to the United States secured a small donation for the program of US$12,000.
Al Brandel adds, "Fr. Chris Riley impressed me with a spirit that is much like that of my Lions. He saw a need, he created a plan for change, and he rolled up his sleeves and got down to the job of making the plan a reality."
The Lions Service Club organisation which has 1.3million members around the world, contributes millions of volunteer hours, and hundreds of millions of dollars each year to medical research, youth leadership and programs, disability support and conquering preventable blindness. The Humanitarian Award was conceived to recognise and support those extraordinary individuals in the world who embody those qualities of selflessness and service that Lions hold dear.
Father Chris Riley was overwhelmed to be recognised in this way and praised the Lions for their support of the program. "
Father Riley is the first Australian to receive this award in its history. Previous recipients include former U. S. President Jimmy Carter and Mother Teresa and Nobel Prize winning Economist, Muhammad Yunus. Fr Riley will be officially presented with the award in Minneapolis later this year at the International Convention.
International President of the Lions Service Club organisation, Al Brandel, first met Father Chris Riley at the 201T1 Lions Convention in Tasmania, where he moved the hearts of the participants speaking about the lives of young people touched by the 'Youth Off The Streets' program. Al Brandel, as a recently retired New York City police officer, is no stranger to dealing with troubled youth, and was so impressed that on his return to the United States secured a small donation for the program of US$12,000.
Al Brandel adds, "Fr. Chris Riley impressed me with a spirit that is much like that of my Lions. He saw a need, he created a plan for change, and he rolled up his sleeves and got down to the job of making the plan a reality."
The Lions Service Club organisation which has 1.3million members around the world, contributes millions of volunteer hours, and hundreds of millions of dollars each year to medical research, youth leadership and programs, disability support and conquering preventable blindness. The Humanitarian Award was conceived to recognise and support those extraordinary individuals in the world who embody those qualities of selflessness and service that Lions hold dear.
Father Chris Riley was overwhelmed to be recognised in this way and praised the Lions for their support of the program. "
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