Projects and Accomplishments

The Coalition’s Projects and Accomplishments in 1998

November 30, 1998

The Hungarian American Coalition is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization founded in 1991. Its mission is to identify and promote the interests of the Hungarian-American community. Its goals are:

to foster appreciation of Hungary’s history and culture;
to encourage educational and cultural interaction between the people of the U.S. and Hungary;
to protect and preserve the human and minority rights and cultural heritage of Hungarians throughout the world;
and to support democratic institutions and economic development in Hungary.

Education and Culture

Recognized as a key participant in the NATO enlargement debate.
Administered The White House Internship Program by Ameritech providing sponsorship to three Hungarian-American college students for spring and summer internships.
Conducted a market survey in Hungarian-speaking communities to prepare a feasibility study of broadcasting by satellite DUNA TV’s programs to North America.
Secured US Agency for International Development grant to conduct a series of Casemapping seminars for Hungarian hospitals to improve quality and reduce excess expenditures and capacity.
Provided partial financial assistance to four students – three from Hungary and one from Slovakia – through the Coalition Scholarship Fund to support their studies in US colleges and universities.
Prepared material and participated in domestic and international conferences and forums dealing with various issues, including NATO expansion and minority rights.
Supported visits to the US by members of the Hungarian media and various other Hungarian visitors through cooperation with USIS in Budapest and with the involvement of Coalition member organizations.
Provided support for placing a plaque commemorating writer/historian Szabó Zoltán in Josselin, his residence in France; and dedicated a bust in his honor in the Hungarian village of Tard, the subject of his classic sociological study.
Assisted in financing the Retreat for Artists in historic Nagybanya, Romania.
Began to collect material to publish a “Human Rights Activists’ Handbook” together with Hungarian Communion of Friends (MBK), and Hungarian Human Rights Foundation (HHRF), to be based on a collection of lectures from past Human Rights Workshops.
Continued fundraising efforts for the Hungarica Project to support ongoing research in the United States for the objective analysis of the critical events surrounding the Revolution of 1956.

Information

Maintained an Information Office in Washington, D.C.
Took a leadership position as member of the Washington, DC-based Central and East European Coalition by focusing attention on ratification of NATO expansion.
Organized the US visits of Lt. Gen. Nicholas Kehoe, Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO and Chris Donnelly, Special Advisor to the Secretary General of NATO on Central and East European Affairs. During visits to New York, New Jersey, Washington, DC, and San Francisco they informed officials, the press and the general public about the goals of NATO expansion.
Provided information, participated in briefings, and held regular meetings with government officials in the White House, Congress, State Department, Agency for International Development, US Information Agency.
Organized ongoing consultations with US Embassies in Budapest, Bucharest and Bratislava regarding issues of common interest to the US Administration and Hungarian Americans. Facilitated meetings between US Ambassador to Romania. James Rosapepe, and Hungarian American community leaders in Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago.
Continued publishing News from Slovakia, a bi-monthly newsletter which provides information to Washington decision makers and members of the press on news and events which affect the daily life of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia.
Provided information for international monitors for the September election in Slovakia.
Held Summer Board Meeting and Long-Range Planning Session in Cleveland, Ohio.
Arranged to hold the annual White House Briefing for Coalition members in Washington, DC to be followed by the traditional Mikulás Dinner.
Published three Coalition Newsletters: Spring, Fall, and Winter.
Maintained an e-mail network connecting Coalition members, and a home page on the World Wide Web (http://www.hungary.com/hac/).