History of AFoCR

History of Accomplishments

Advocacy

  • Expansion of Czech Caucus in Congress

  • Successful advocacy for visa waiver for Czech citizens (’07-‘08)

  • Advocacy to promote Czech membership in NATO (‘95-‘99), including U.S. Senate testimony.

  • Publishing AFoCR quarterly Newsletter - 5,500 circulation (U.S. and international) (continuing since ‘95)

  • Statements to media on Czech Republic related issues (continuing since ‘95)

  • Briefings for U.S. Congress and State Department

  • Launch of the “Doing Business in the Czech Republic” seminar series.

Untitled design (6).png
Untitled design (3).png

Major Projects

  • Humanitarian assistance for Ukrainian refugees displaced in the Czech Republic - Organized fundraising, raised over $100,000 and made grant to People in Need (Clovek v tisni), one of the key organizations handling the refugee crisis (‘22)

  • Leadership on the rebuilding of the Sokol gymnasium after a tragic industrial explosion in the Czech community of West, Texas.  ('14)

  • Placement of Havel Bust in U.S. Capitol with Vaclav Havel Library Foundation ('14)

  • Construction of Havel Place Memorial at Georgetown University, Washington, DC ('13)

  • Facilitation of planning, development, and opening of Aspen Institute Prague (‘12)

  • Rebuilding and dedication of the Woodrow Wilson Monument and the Walk of Freedom in Prague ('11 - ‘12)

  • Distribution of 17,000 copies of a biography of Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved 700 Czech Jewish children in 1939 (‘08)

  • Construction of Masaryk Memorial Wall of Honor at Czech Embassy (‘03)

  • Flood Relief for 2002 Floods - Organized fundraising, raised over $300,000, and made grants to 20 schools, churches, museums, hospitals, and towns in the Czech Republic ('02)

  • Construction and dedication of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Memorial in Washington, D.C. ('02)

Representation Activities

  • Annual parliamentary exchanges between members of the U.S. House and Senate, and the Czech Chamber of Deputies and Senate.

  • Sponsorship and coordination of flagship business, educational and civic diplomacy events.

  • 20th Anniversary Celebration of AFoCR in Prague, with Visits to Various Ministers, and Prime Minister with Educational Panel Discussions ('15)

  • National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Grand Reopening (‘12)

  • NATO Summit in Chicago (‘12)

  • Memorial Events in Washington Celebrating Life of Václav Havel (‘12)

  • Conference on Czech Jews in America at the Czech Embassy (‘10)

  • Meeting in Prague with President Václav Havel, Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, and Deputy Prime Minister Martin Jahn (‘04)

  • White House State Dinner for President Václav Havel (‘02)

  • NATO Enlargement Ceremony ('99)

  • White House State Dinner for NATO Enlargement ('99)

  • White House State Dinner for Czech President Václav Havel ('98)

  • State Department ceremony for Czech President Václav Havel (’97)

  • White House discussions on Central and Eastern Europe ('96)

Untitled design (5).png

Galas and Anniversary Events

  • Centennial Gala Award Dinner, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, Honoree Fred Malek (‘18)

  • Woodrow Wilson Monument Dedication & Masaryk-Wilson Award Dinner—Rudolfinum, Prague – Honoring People in Need and its Director and Co-founder, Šimon Pánek, (‘11)

  • 5th Civil Society Vision Award Dinner – Returning Wilson Monument to Prague, Ritz-Carleton Hotel, Chicago – Honoring Mayor Richard M. Daley (‘09)

  • 4th Civil Society Vision Award Dinner – Returning Wilson Monument to Prague, JW Marriott Hotel, Houston, TX – Honoring James Lovell & Eugene Cernan as presented by President George H.W. Bush (‘08)

  • 3rd Civil Society Vision Awards Dinner – Czech Republic Membership in European Union, JW Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC – Honoring Václav Havel ('04)

  • Tomáš Masaryk Birthday Commemoration Ceremonies (continuing since ‘03)

  • 2nd Civil Society Vision Awards Dinner – World Bank; Masaryk Memorial Dedication, Washington, DC – Honoring Fred Malek, Hank Greenberg, & James Wolfensohn ('02)

  • White House State dinner for President Havel ('02)

  • Civil Society Vision Awards Dinner - Plaza Hotel, New York, NY – Honoring Madeleine Albright ('00) 

  • 80th anniversary celebration of Czechoslovakia (‘98)

  • White House State dinner for Czech President Havel ('98)

Award Recognition

  • Gratias Agit from Czech Foreign Ministry for NATO Advocacy ('98):  This is the only statutory award given by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  This prestigious recognition is given to individuals and or groups committed to working for the benefit of the whole society and for the promotion of the good name of the Czech Republic in the world.

Untitled design (2).png