About the Gala and our Honorees
International Surgical Mission Support
2014 Special Recognition for their Humanitarian Work on behalf of people with medical needs
The Gabriela Mistral Foundation has the pleasure of announcing the 2014 Humanitarian Award Dinner which will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. This years’s honoree, Ms. Isabel Allende, author of over twenty books that have been translated into more than thirty languages and sold over sixty million copies, is being recognized for her great humanitarian work on behalf of the women of Chile and the world as founder of the Isabel Allende Foundation.
Following the death of her daughter Paula, and in her honor the Isabel Allende Foundation was founded in 1996, dedicated to the protection and empowerment of women and children worldwide. Paula was only twenty-eight years old when she died, a graceful and spiritual young woman, the light of her family who cared deeply for others. When in doubt her motto was: What is the most generous thing to do? The foundation, based on her ideals of service and compassion, was created to continue her work. Ms. Allende remarks: “My foundation is guided by a vision of a world in which women have achieved social and economic justice. It is only a drop of water in the vast desert of human need.”
The Gabriela Mistral Foundation will also present a special recognition to an individual and to an organization whose humanitarian and cultural work have made an impact in the lives Chilean people in need.
"To the world I may be one person,
but to one person I may be the world"
Founded in 1996, ISMS is a secular, non-political organization created to provide free medical care to the poor all over the world.
In April 1013, 19 members of ISMS Team NY--the oldest of the teams--made a mission to Chile which was carried out in the city of Linares. In one week, the team performed over 90 surgeries--including general, pediatric, plastic and cancer--at no cost to the patients or to the medical system in Chile.
The people of Chile and the Gabriela Mistral Foundation are grateful to ISMS and each one of their members for their most generous and important work that made such a great impact in the lives of those who received the care as well as the lives of their loved ones.
Isabel Allende
2014 Gabriela Mistral Foundation
Humanitarian Award
Ms. Isabel Allende is an acclaimed Chilean writer who won international recognition with her first best selling novel “The House of the Spirits” in 1982. To date she has written more than 20 other books which have been translated to 30 languages and sold almost 60 million copies. Her work has been recognized around the world and she has received many awards. In addition to her successful career as a writer Ms. Allende devotes much of her time to human rights. She established The Isabel Allende Foundation to honor her daughter Paula, who died prematurely in l992. The work of her foundation is guided by a vision of a world in which women have achieved social and economic justice. It supports selected nonprofits worldwide that help women and children in the areas of education, health, reproductive self-determination, and protection from violence, exploitation and discrimination.
Mrs. Cecilia Morel Montes
2014 Special Recognition for her Humanitarian and Cultural Work on behalf of Chile and its people
Was until March 11, 2014 the First Lady of Chile. She assumed this role in 2010 when her husband, Mr. Sebastián Piñera Echenique assumed the Presidency of Chile. In this important role, she promoted Chilean Culture and Humanitarian causes. The Gabriela Mistral Foundation will present a special recognition to Mrs. Morel for her Humanitarian and Cultural Work. The Gabriela Mistral Foundation worked closely with the Office of the First Lady--during her tenure-- to successfully bring to Chile a Humanitarian Surgical Mission to the city of Linares in April 2013, as well as a number of other initiatives such as: Rincones Mistralianos and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas Chile Tour, to name just a few. As First Lady, Mrs. Morel provided great support to the people of Chile after the devastating 2010 earthquake and was a constant presence during the mining accident later that year; and for four years she was Chair of seven foundations: Integra, Prodemu, Children & Youth Orchestras, Mirador Interactive Museum; Arts & Crafts of Chile; Family Foundation and Chilenter. She also created the program “Choose to Live Healthy,” (Elige Vivir Sano) which was passed into law of in 2013, with the almost unanimous support of Congress. She also worked on the important project of the “Salons of the Poets” at Palacio de La Moneda,” refurbishing and rededicating them in honor of noted Chilean poets including "Salon Gabriela Mistral", which was inaugurated in January 2014.