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Cambridge, May 21—
At its annual Student Leader Awards ceremony, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) presented the 2007 Agent of Change
award to the Lebanese Club at MIT (LCM). In announcing the winner,
an MIT spokesperson described how “during the July 2006
Israeli-Lebanese conflict, the LCM moved swiftly into action,
organizing the ongoing Boston to Lebanon grassroots
fundraising campaign to raise public awareness and funds for
Lebanon”.
“At a time when the local Lebanese community needed the most
support, [the LCM] found a way to positively channel the community's
energy into a productive, proactive effort on behalf of Lebanon”,
she added. The LCM was also officially credited for making “the
highest deposit ever by a student group after a single event
fundraiser”, in reference to a benefit concert held by the club
during the 34-day conflict.
The annual Agent of Change award honors the MIT student
organization that best displays commitment to and passion for
justice and activism to create positive change in and beyond MIT.
The Lebanese Club received the award because of its “dedication,
resourcefulness, and professionalism in spearheading this
Boston-wide campaign”, according to MIT. The Institute hosts over
300 student-run groups and organizations.
“This prestigious honor is a powerful endorsement by MIT of our
efforts to bring justice, awareness, and aid to Lebanon”, said Loai
Naamani, President of the Lebanese Club at MIT. Naamani dedicated
the award to “the memory of Lebanon’s lost ones; to the countless
innocent victims of the savagery we call the July 2006 Conflict and
to the statesmen and leaders of thought & action who have been
cowardly eliminated through political assassination in Lebanon’s
recent history.”
Anchored at MIT and managed by the Lebanese Club, the Boston to
Lebanon fund offers donors tax exemption and ensures direct
transfer of all proceeds to local NGOs in Lebanon at 0% overhead.
The campaign is apolitical and sheds light on the massive need for
economic and humanitarian aid in Lebanon. Activities supported by
the campaign and conducted by local beneficiaries, such as Bahr
Lubnan, Offre Joie, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and the Lebanese Red
Cross include cleaning up the Ramlet El Baida beach from the
oil-spill by paying the daily salaries of 20 fishermen,
reconstructing 4 households in the widely demolished Qaouzah
village, removing unexploded mines in South Lebanon by supporting 7
skilled technicians, and purchasing the equipment for a new blood
bank in Jbeil.
LCM member and former Secretary, Mesrob Ohannessian, a PhD Candidate
in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,
was also recognized at the 2007 awards convocation with a
Distinguished Dedication award for his “selflessness and
dedication, which was most evident during TECHLEB|06”,
according to MIT.
TECHLEB|06 is the 1st International Conference on
Technology Development in Lebanon, held at MIT in May of 2006. The
3-day conference attracted registrants from 15 countries and 20 US
states, representing 168 unique companies and organizations.
Bringing together the stakeholders of Lebanon’s technology sector in
one place for the first time, the conference proved to be an ideal
vehicle for defining and building consensus on the pressing
requirements for developing Lebanon’s technology sector and for
transitioning Lebanon towards a knowledge-based economy. The
outcomes of TECHLEB were officially endorsed by Lebanon’s Council of
Ministers and mandated by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to a newly
founded Coordination Unit responsible for supervising their
implementation. ||
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