Greek Tenor Mario Frangoulis To Receive Jericho Voice of Hope Award

Mario Frangoulis, global tenor and humanitarian whose versatile, multilingual talent has raised awareness for children and families all around the world, will be recognized Thursday, April 29 by Jericho Project, a nationally-recognized leader for the homeless, as its first ever Voice of Hope at the Jericho Project 2010 Gala “Celebrate Them Home.”

Victoria Lyon, Jericho’s Executive Director, said Mario was chosen because, “for years, he has used his voice to combat worldwide poverty, healthcare deficiencies, famine and homelessness.”

For Give Us Your Poor — the national campaign to end homelessness — Frangoulis joined Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Natalie Merchant, Danny Glover, Jewel, and others. As a Global Ambassador for Peace on behalf, he partnered with President Mikhail Gorbachev, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others to rescue children and their families from refugee camps in war-torn countries.

A versatile performer of stage, screen and musical genres, Frangoulis was discovered by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and worked with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, playing leading roles in West End productions of Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. His work has taken him on tour around the globe ever since, collaborating with artists ranging from Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras to Celine Dion and Sarah Brightman.

Jericho Project congratulates Mario for his musical gifts and global advocacy, “entreating his audiences across generations and borders to act on their humanity and lift others in need.”

At the Jericho Project 2010 Gala “Celebrate Them Home,” Ms. Lyon will announce Jericho’s new Families Initiative to provide stable housing and success-oriented counseling, including its highly effective substance abuse and family reunification expertise, to the city’s most challenged families and children. Jericho’s Veterans Initiative is the first of its kind in New York in 15 years: two new Veterans Residences in the Bronx with state of the art counseling, and a special program to fast-track veterans and their families to furnished apartments immediately.

The event’s high-profile speakers also include decorated Iraq veteran and former Black Hawk helicopter pilot VA Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth, and the Honorable Bob Kerrey receiving Jericho Project’s Ambassador of Hope Award. Deutsche Bank is receiving the Corporate Champion Award for its work addressing the plight of homelessness and for being the first supporter of Jericho Project’s Veterans Initiative.

Jericho is a leading national nonprofit ending homelessness at its roots with five Residences in Harlem and the Bronx that has helped thousands of formerly homeless men and women get jobs, reunify with their families and transform their lives for the better. For more, head to: www.jerichoproject.org