Documentary filmmake Ken Burns Named 2014 Recipient of Forrest Church Award

Noted documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, twice-nominated for the Academy Award and two-time Emmy Award winner, has been selected as the 2014 recipient of the Forrest Church Award. The award will be presented at the 25th Anniversary Auction of The Heart & Soul Charitable Fund on Thursday, March 6, 2014, at The Great Hall of The Cooper Union in New York City.

Burns is well known for his landmark PBS series The Civil War (1990), Baseball (1994), Jazz (2001), and The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009). His body of work also contains historical films such as The Shakers (1984), The Congress (1988), and Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991); the biographical films Thomas Hart Benton (1988), Frank Lloyd Wright (1998), and Mark Twain (2001). He is currently working on three new efforts, Vietnam, The Roosevelts, and Jackie Robinson.

For more than 30 years, Ken Burns has been making some of the most acclaimed - and most watched - historical documentaries. As the late historian Stephen Ambrose said, "More Americans get their history from Ken Burns than any other source." To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, Burns, along with numerous partners, launched a national on-line effort at http://www.learntheaddress.org/ to encourage everyone in America to video record themselves reading or reciting this renowned speech by Abraham Lincoln. This collection of recordings continues to grow as more and more people are inspired by the power of history and take The Challenge to LEARN THE ADDRESS.

The Forrest Church Award (http://heartandsoulfund.org/forrest-church-award.aspx) named for the late Rev. Dr. Forrest Church, author and humanitarian, is given to an individual who demonstrates a capacity for moral courage and selflessness while working towards the betterment of our world. Former recipients include Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross; former U.S. President Bill Clinton; Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; the Hon. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York; and Dr. Paul Farmer, founder of the international health and social justice organization Partners In Health.

Mr. Burns will accept the award in person at the event, on Thursday, March 6, 2014, at The Great Hall of The Cooper Union in New York City. Tickets can be purchased at (http://heartandsoulfund.org/) Attendees will have the opportunity to stand behind the lectern where Lincoln delivered the speech that propelled him towards the presidency, and upload their own version of the Gettysburg Address for LEARN THE ADDRESS (http://www.learntheaddress.org/).

About Heart & Soul

The Heart & Soul Charitable Fund supports community-based programs that serve New York's marginalized populations through the investment of time, money and compassion. Together with our partners and supporters we find creative and inspiring ways to sustain the critical work they do by:

• Making grants to emerging and worthy neighborhood-based organizations which serve those whose needs are not being addressed by larger charitable organizations
• Partnering with these organizations so their story may be shared, their volunteer base can expand, and they can become better advocates for the communities they serve

Heart & Soul was founded in 1988 to raise funds for two long-running meal programs, which together serve 28,000 meals annually at All Souls Church. Now 25 years later, we continue to fund these programs in addition to over a dozen Youth Services and Community-Based programs in New York City.