ＣＰＡＦＦＣ Ａｗａｒｄｓ Ｍａｒｙ Ｅｉｓｅｎｈｏｗｅｒ Ｔｉｔｌｅ ｏｆ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ Ａｍｂａｓｓａｄｏｒ

On April 16， the CPAFFC held a ceremony awarding Mary Eisenhower， president and CEO of People to People International (PTPI) of the U.S.， the title of Friendship Ambassador at the auditorium of the CPAFFC. More than 70 members of the PTPI delegation were present at the ceremony.

Mary Eisenhower is the granddaughter of former US president Dwight Eisenhower. In January 2000， Mary officially took the office of president and CEO of PTPI and worked for promoting understanding and friendship among peoples of the world. She has visited over 40 countries and helped provide cultural and humanitarian aid to the developing countries. She attaches great importance to nongovernmental exchanges between Chinese and American people， especially between the young people. Since the 1990s， PTPI has organized nearly ten thousand young people to visit China. Moreover， she actively supports China’s efforts in education， health and children’s welfare by making donations to the Breast Cancer Awareness Project initiated by the CPAFFC and continuously contributing money and things to the orphanages and schools in Beijing， Shanghai， Guizhou Province and other places.

On behalf of the CPAFFC， Vice President Li Xiaolin presented the certificate and medal of Friendship Ambassador to Mary Eisenhower. In her speech， Vice President Li said， President Mary Eisenhower and PTPI not only actively supported China’s humanitarian cause， but also devoted herself to spreading the seeds of friendship and peace into the hearts of young people all over the world. Her contributions to the cause of people’s friendship help people deeply realize that mutual respect and understanding are vitally important to the future of the world and the whole humanity.

On receiving the title of Friendship Ambassador， Mary Eisenhower said with emotion that this is the most valuable and meaningful title she has ever received. Both the U.S. and China are important countries in the world， therefore， the friendship and cooperation between the two people will not only benefit both countries’ own development， but also mean a great deal to world peace， stability and prosperity. She pledged to do her best to enhance the understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American people， especially the younger generation， so as to make more contributions to the lasting friendship between the two people.

The ceremony ended in the beautiful melody of Edelweiss， Mary’s favourite song， and the whole place was filled with a happy and friendly atmosphere.