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The Oscar of Philanthropy Goes to Koc Family

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Rahmi Koc with the Mike Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, Sanford Weill, ex-chief executive officer of Citigroup and Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel. (Photo: Courtesy of TurkishNY.com)

New York Anatolia Agency -

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a foreign-policy think tank based in Washington, has deemed the Koç Family worthy of the “Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy,” the most prestigious philanthropy award in the world. Turkey's Koc family received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in a ceremony in New York.
The Koç Family, founder of Koç Holding, Turkey’s biggest industrial group, obtained this international prize for their philanthropic
contributions to society, said the Vehbi Koç Foundation. An award ceremony will be held in New York City for the Koç Family, following the series of events, organized for Oct. 14 and Oct. 15.

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish industrialist, businessman, entrepreneur, and a major philanthropist. This award, which was
created at the centennial observance of Andrew Carnegie’s official career as a philanthropist, is given every two years to one or more individuals who, like Andrew Carnegie, have dedicated their private wealth to public good and who have a sustained an impressive career as a philanthropist.

This year, in addition to the Koç family, the prize will also be presented to Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York City and to Sanford Weill, ex-chief executive officer of Citigroup and to Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel.

“Late Vehbi Koç founded Vehbi Koç Foundation 40 years ago in an attempt to institutionalize philanthropic activities conducted by Koç Holding. The Vehbi Koç Foundation, Turkey’s first private foundation, has led numerous projects in education, health and culture domains,” said the Vehbi Koç Foundation.

The tradition of social responsibility and awareness has been transferred to each generation maintaining a strong belief that “If my country exists, I exist”. Today, social responsibility and awareness is seen by the third generation as an essential part of business strategies, said to the Foundation.

On the other hand, the Koç family has been awarded with the Hadrian Prize by World Monuments Fund in 2007 because of its positive contributions to the world’s cultural heritages.

The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, considered equivalent to the Nobel Prize for Philanthropy and has been awarded to the Rockefeller Family, Gates Family, George Soros, Brooke Astor, Sainsbury Family, Kazus Inamori, Aga Khan, Packard Family, Heinz Family, Tata Family, Eli Broad and Mellon Family.

Andrew Carnegie established the Carnegie Steel Company in 1870s. The company became the world’s largest and most profitable establishment by 1890s. Then Carnegie sold Carnegie Steel Company to J.P. Morgan in 1901. Carnegie dedicated the rest of his life to philanthropy. He donated 90 percent of the money he obtained from the sale of the
company to charitable businesses.

Dividing stages of a human’s life into three, Carnegie said, one-third of a human’s life should be dedicated to education. The second third should be dedicated to education. The final stage should be dedicated to philanthropy. He has also been known to say “No one should die wealthy.”
Last modified onSaturday, 06 May 2017 10:07
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