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| October 3, 2006 |
| SGI-Taiwan Recognized as Excellent Community Organization for 14th Consecutive Year |
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| Interior Minister Lee Yi-Yang (left) presents award to SGI-Taiwan Vice General Director Wu Da-he |
The Interior Ministry of Taiwan has chosen SGI-Taiwan as an Excellent Community Organization for 2005. SGI-Taiwan was one of 17 chosen from among 6,965 organizations to have contributed the most to Taiwanese society during the year. The organization has been recognized for 14 consecutive years since 1991, one year following its official registration as a religious organization. No other organization has matched this feat. SGI-Taiwan members have continued to put into action SGI-President Ikeda's encouragement to SGI members to contribute in areas of peace, culture and education in their respective communities and societies as good citizens. SGI-Taiwan has sponsored numerous exhibitions promoting environmental preservation and harmonious coexistence with nature, as well as traditional and modern art shows. The SGI-Taiwan student division has also sponsored and staffed Soka Joy Summer Camp, which provides young people in rural areas with opportunities to participate in athletic events, chemistry workshops, dances, and other educational activities.
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| Exhibition on harmonious coexistence with the natural environment (June 2005) |
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Soka Joy Summer camp at an elementary school in July 2005 |
The Interior Ministry lauded SGI-Taiwan's activities that promote collaborations between the family and society. At an awards ceremony on September 25, Interior Minister Lee Yi-Yang praised the recipients, saying it is extremely difficult to be selected as one of 17 from among nearly 7,000 community and social organizations. He affirmed that the members of the 17 organizations selected have continued to take action for others with the spirit of dedication, which has contributed to the prosperity and happiness of society. Mr. Lee presented a citation to SGI-Taiwan Vice General Director Wu Da-he. SGI-Taiwan youth division's Heavenly Drums Orchestra performed two celebratory pieces.
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| SGI-Germany's Villa Sachsen Celebrates Heritage Day |
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| Green Hill Orchestra performs classics |
On September 9, 2006, SGI-Germany's Villa Sachsen Grand Culture Center (Villa Sachsen) opened its doors to the public in celebration of Heritage Day (Sept. 14). SGI-Germany's Green Hill Orchestra serenaded the 2,000 local residents attending with well-loved classics. The audience was also treated to a guitar solo by a renowned guitarist, as well as a collaborative lecture on "Humanity and the Cosmos," by Yoshiharu Matsuno, an SGI-Germany leader, and Hanns Ruder, professor of the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Tübingen. Meanwhile, children enjoyed an informal play, a hands-on origami-folding and clay molding class, as well as face painting. Visitors remarked they were delighted that a cultural heritage had been revived to play an active part in contemporary society, and that the center brimmed with hope and inspiration for the future. Irmgard von Lehsten, member of the German Committee for UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), commended the SGI-Germany youth who are harnessing the power of hope to restore society.
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| Children's face painting |
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Their faces are works of art |
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| Families chat in a warm atmosphere |
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A small bazaar |
[Located along the Rhine River in Bingen City, Villa Sachsen was designated an important historic and cultural monument of the city. Originally built in 1843 as a mountain villa by a European aristocrat, Villa Sachsen changed ownership several times over the course of its 150-year history. During World War II, it served as a field hospital. In 1997, SGI-Germany reopened the renovated villa and country garden as the SGI-Germany Villa Sachsen Grand Culture Center. Since then, it has served as a venue for art and cultural events in the local community, including "Goethe Week" in 1999 and the "Victor Hugo and the 21st Century" exhibition in 2001. Villa Sachsen regularly opens its doors to the public to celebrate Heritage Day on September 14, an initiative of the Council of Europe, supported by the European Union.].
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| Villa Sachsen |
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Rhine River |
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