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Just in time for the holidays, a lovely ceremony to recognize the exemplary volunteers who have been given the Minoru Yasui award in 2014 was held Thursday at the Marriott Denver Tech Center.

A program of the Denver Foundation, the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer award program acknowledges exceptional service from community individuals and partnerships.

The award program is in honor of civil rights advocate Minoru Yasui, who was a Japanese American lawyer from Oregon. . He was one of the few Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor who fought laws that directly targeted Japanese Americans or Japanese immigrants. His case was the first case to test the constitutionality of the curfews targeted at minority groups.

His case would make its way to the United States Supreme Court, where his conviction for breaking curfew was affirmed. After internment during most of WWII, he moved to Denver in 1944. In Denver, Yasui married and became a local leader in civic affairs, including leadership positions in the Japanese Amerian Citizens League. In 1986, his criminal conviction was overturned by the federal court.

In honor of Mr. Yasui’s incredible commitment to civil rights causes, each year awards are given out to those who set the bar higher and higher for community involement and dedication.

Those recognized this past year and the initiatives they are involved with are:

• January: Reverend Diana Flahive, co-founder of the Women’s Homeless Initiative
• February: Tanja Butler-Melone, Family Tree
• March: Meg Depriest, The Wellness Initiative
• April: Dr. Libby Whitmore, Cafe’ 180
• May: Ana Kemp, The Women’s Foundation
• June: Sharon Rouse, Denver Art Museum
• July: Ginger Case, Growing Home
• August: Deb Wells, Alzheimer’s Association Colorado
• September: Billy Brown, Denver Kids Inc.
• October: Barry Levene, Bluff Lake Nature Center
• November: Vic Sulzer, Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association

The Mountain States Region of ADL (Anti-Defamation League) held his fall fundraiser ”ArtWorks ADL:  Justice, Advocacy & Art™” at the eclectic ArtHaus. The art auction featured original works of art inspired by ADL’s Centennial theme, Imagine a World Without Hate®.

Over 30 local artists were inspired by that theme and over 50 art pieces included paintings and sculptures were created. Featuring artists were Don Sahli, Lyudmila Agrich, Claire Boyce, Elizabeth Buhr, Betsy Duzan, Leona Lazar, Rozarii Lynch, Julie Mason, Sandi Ogin, Dennis Pendleton, Essie Perlmutter, Ron Pokrasso, Karen Haughan Tomlinson, and Jordan Wolfson.

Proceeds from the art auction benefit ADL’s regional programming and the daily work of ADL in Colorado, which includes fighting bigotry, racism and anti-Semitism; combating bias, bullying and hate through our No Place for Hate® initiative; advocating for civil rights and religious freedom; training law enforcement about extremist groups; responding to hate crimes; and responding to complaints of discrimination.

The guests enjoyed a cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction. 300 people included artists and strong supporters of ADL gathered together to create awareness about the world without hate. The goal of ArtWorks is to engage, empower and educate the Denver community about the mission and impact of ADL through art.

The Quiat family was honored for their generations of dedication to civil rights and commitment to fair treatment for all. Melinda Quiat, Gerry’s Quiat daughter, received an ADL award on behalf of the Quiat family.

Melinda Quiat became involved with ADL when she was a child through her father’s commitment to the civil rights mission. Gerald M. (Gerry) Quiat was the chair of Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the chairman of the board for the Anti-Defamation League and a member of the National Executive Committee. He served as an ADL Mountain States regional board member until the end of his life. Gerry Quiat died on January 1, 2013.

Melinda Quiat has continued the family’s civil rights work as a member of ADL’s Regional Board and as an associate commissioner of ADL’s National Commission. Melinda’s family donated first $20,000 to ADL’s leadership mission program that will enable students to learn about diversity and anti-violence through the lessons of Holocaust.

The Quiat family is a five-generation Colorado family whose members have made significant contributions to the well being of all who reside in Colorado.The Quiats made their way to Denver where, for over 125 years, each generation has been strong supporters of the effort to stop anti-semitism and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.

The main speaker of the event was Sheldon Steinhauser, former Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League from 1957 till 1985 and director of the Allied Jewish Federation of Denver. Sheldon Steinhauser has had a close relationship with all three generations of Quiat family. He spoke about the Quiat family and their contribution to ADL.

The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” This year ADL celebrates its 100-anniversary.

ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all.

The Anti-Defamation League in Denver was founded in 1941 by a dedicated group of Colorado Jewish leaders – led by Col. Melvin Schlesinger and including such notables as Lou Isaacson, A.B. Hirschfeld, Max Goldberg and Emmett Heitler.

ADL’s Education Division focuses on three primary programmatic areas: anti-bias education, confronting anti-semitism, and Holocaust education. Through their A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute, ADL customizes programs that provide the necessary skills, knowledge and awareness to promote and sustain inclusive and respectful school, work and home environments for schools, universities, corporations, community-based organizations and law enforcement agencies.

Unveiled in 2008, ADL’s No Place for Hate® program was developed to organize schools to work together and develop projects that enhance the appreciation of diversity and foster harmony amongst diverse groups by empowering them to promote respect for individual and group differences while challenging prejudice and bigotry.

For more information, please visit: www.adl.org