The Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition) elected new Board Members at its sixth Annual Meeting, held on Saturday, December 6, 1997, at the Kossuth House in Washington, DC.  Géza Kádár, Jr., Edith Lauer, Andrew Ludányi, László Papp, Zsolt Szekeres and Charles Vámossy were elected to serve for three-year terms.  The organization also renewed the membership of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America and welcomed the Hungarian American Cultural Association, Inc., (Kossuth Club), a new organizational member from Florida.

In her report President Edith Lauer described the recently held NATO Education Project in Hungary, ongoing efforts to build good relations with Washington decision-makers, the continued publication of News from Slovakia, which provides information about the large Hungarian minority in Slovakia, and several other projects.  In a report about the White House Internship by Ameritech, intern Christina Stacey thanked the Coalition and Ameritech for giving her the invaluable opportunity to work in the White House.

Following the Annual Meeting, the Board elected four Vice Presidents: Imre Lendvai-Lintner, Rev. István Mustos, Dr. Balázs Somogyi, and Bishop Dr. Francis Vitéz.  Members of the new Executive Committee and chairmen of four standing committees were also elected.

The new Board passed several resolutions regarding future activities.  It reaffirmed the Coalition’s support for The White House Internship by Ameritech by calling on the membership to continue their efforts to select the best possible candidates for the two summer sessions in 1998.

The Board established a Scholarship Fund for Hungarian students.  These awards will cover partial scholarships for study in US colleges and universities.

The Coalition will provide financial and organizational support for the Ninth Annual Human Rights Workshop, to be held either in Philadelphia or in New York City.  Financial contributions were approved for the benefit of various projects and organizations in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.