Holland America Line Bestows Shared Humanity Award to Oprah Winfrey

 In honor of a career championing equality and inclusion, global cruise line donates $40,000 to Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa

SEATTLE, March 14, 2019 /CNW/ -- At a special gathering on board Nieuw Statendam following the special Girls' Getaway sailing in partnership with O, The Oprah Magazine, Holland America Line bestowed its Shared Humanity Award on Oprah Winfrey — philanthropist, global media leader and founder and editorial director of the magazine. At the event, Holland America Line presented a $40,000 donation to Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls to commemorate the award and honored her as official godmother of the new ship.

Holland America Line chose Winfrey for her commitment over the last three decades to bringing people together, breaking down barriers and inspiring greater understanding among people from all backgrounds, belief systems and walks of life.

"Oprah has worked tirelessly throughout her career to enrich the lives of others, and she is globally recognized as a leader who has inspired millions to live their best lives and embrace that we are more alike than different," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. "Oprah embodies the spirit and reason why we created the Shared Humanity Award, to reflect our higher purpose value of building connections and fostering understanding among people from different cultures as we sail the world. Oprah is exceptionally deserving to be honored and we are proud to support her work with a donation to Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa."

Winfrey's generous impact to the world began in 1998 when she created Oprah's Angel Network that supported charitable projects and provided grants to nonprofit organizations around the world. Oprah's Angel Network raised more than $80,000,000 before ending in 2010. In 2000, during a visit to Nelson Mandela, Ms. Winfrey pledged to build a school for girls in South Africa to serve girls who showed outstanding promise despite their impoverished backgrounds and social circumstances.

By 2012 Winfrey had donated approximately $400 million to educational causes, including more than 400 scholarships to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2013, Winfrey became the biggest single donor with a contribution of $13 million to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

"I've spent my life trying to be a missionary and a visionary of spreading peace in the world. The one prayer that I pray most often is 'God, use me for something greater than myself,'" said Winfrey in accepting the award. "There is nothing better than having acknowledgment that the work that you are doing is being affirmed by people who notice what you do. I appreciate that from you. Thank you very much and I'm grateful for the contribution to Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls."

About the Shared Humanity Award
Holland America Line established the Shared Humanity Award in 2018 to recognize leaders who have dedicated their life to inspiring others to see that the things that unite us are greater than those that divide us. This idea is the foundation of the cruise line's higher purpose values and the experiences they strive to bring to their millions of guests each year as they sail the globe – to open minds, build connections and inspire shared humanity. The first award was presented to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the former archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa in 2018.

About Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is a global media leader, philanthropist, producer and actress. For 25 years Oprah was host of the award-winning talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show." As chairman and CEO, she guides her cable network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network; is founder of O, The Oprah Magazine; and oversees Harpo Films. Oprah starred in HBO Films' "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and portrayed Mrs. Which in Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time" film adaptation from director Ava DuVernay.

At the 2018 Golden Globes she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award, an award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. In 2013 Winfrey was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, and in 2002 she was the recipient of the first Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for services to television and film.

Winfrey's cookbook, "Food, Health and Happiness: 115 On-Point Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life," debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, as did her most recent book "The Wisdom of Sundays," featuring today's most admired thought leaders who have appeared on OWN's Emmy Award-winning talk series "Super Soul Sunday." The podcast versions of these interviews, "Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations," are also available on Apple Podcasts and where podcasts are available.

About Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls
Born from a pledge by Oprah Winfrey to former South Africa president Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls is committed to providing a rigorous yet supportive education system that encourages high standards of academic achievement, service leadership and provides cultural enrichment for girls who show outstanding promise, despite their disadvantaged backgrounds. As of 2018 more than 430 OWLAG graduates have attended colleges and universities around the world, with 17 of those girls graduating from U.S. colleges and universities.

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog.  Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE:  CCL and CUK)]
Holland America Line's fleet of 15 ships offers more than 500 cruises to more than 400 ports in 98 countries, territories or dependencies around the world. From shorter getaways to 128-day itineraries, the company's cruises visit all seven continents, with highlights including Antarctica explorations, South America circumnavigations, EXC In-Depth Voyages, Cuba cruises and exotic Australia & New Zealand and Asia voyages; two annual Grand Voyages; and popular sailings to the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada & New England, Europe and the Panama Canal. The line welcomed Nieuw Statendam in December 2018. A third Pinnacle-class ship will be delivered in 2021.

The company's brand evolution in recent years secured its position as the leader in premium cruising. Fleetwide, the ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination immersion and personalized travel. Guests can expand their knowledge through exclusive partnerships with O, The Oprah Magazine and America's Test Kitchen and at unique BBC Earth live music and on-screen experiences. Outstanding entertainment fills each evening at venues including Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. King's Blues Club, Rolling Stone Rock Room and Billboard Onboard. The dining experience can be savored at a variety of restaurants with menus that feature selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council, comprising world-famous chefs who design dishes exclusively for guests.

SOURCE Holland America Line

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