International Medical Corps will honor leaders, including actor, director and activist Sanaa Lathan, and corporate partner AIG, for their dedication in helping the organization respond to humanitarian crises around the world. The Los Angeles-based relief organization will hold its Annual Awards Celebration on Thursday, September 29, at the Beverly Hilton, in Beverly Hills, CA.
Representatives of International Medical Corps’ Ukraine team will be on hand to accept its Founder’s Award, given to members of the team who endured the Russian occupation of Mariupol. The organization will also recognize recently retired and long-time staff member Stephen Tomlin with the Dr. Henry H. Hood Distinguished Service Award.
Lathan, who will receive the Humanitarian Award, has been a Global Ambassador for International Medical Corps since 2015. In addition to advocating on behalf of the organization, she has traveled to the field to see first-hand its humanitarian assistance following the devastation of hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean.
“Sanaa has been a steadfast advocate of those in greatest need, and of our work to help them,” said International Medical Corps President and CEO Nancy Aossey. “She is passionate about making the world a better place, in any way she can, and we are grateful for her values, actions and advocacy.”
AIG’s support of International Medical Corps began in 2015 in Nepal following the large earthquake there. Between 2020 and 2021, AIG provided $4 million toward International Medical Corps’ global COVID-19 pandemic response, helping to dramatically expand programs in the United States, India, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Syria, South Sudan and Venezuela, providing cold-chain storage, staffing and logistics support for vaccines, as well as personal protective equipment, infection prevention and control supplies and training for frontline health workers and patients.
“AIG’s extraordinary support has been key to providing us with the funding and flexibility to rapidly respond to crises around the world,” added Aossey. “Its longstanding commitment and focus on investing in health infrastructure has made a real difference in underserved communities around the world.”
The Annual Awards Celebration is one of International Medical Corps’ most important events, bringing together a group of distinguished guests who help fuel the mission of the organization through advocacy and direct financial support. Founded in 1984, International Medical Corps is a preeminent first responder, providing emergency medical and related services to those affected by conflict, disaster and disease, no matter where they are, no matter the conditions. It also trains people in their communities, providing them with the skills they need to recover, chart their own path to self-reliance and become effective first responders themselves.
For more information, including details on how to attend in person or virtually, please visit https://internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/aac.
If you have other questions about the event, please contact Ricki Weisberg, Publicist and CEO, Bird Hill, 610-517-6668, ricki@birdhillpr.com.
For questions regarding any aspects of International Medical Corps’ work, please write to media@internationalmedicalcorps.org.