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2009 Wyler Award Recipient
Ellen DeGeneres |
As joint recipients of the 2009 Wyler Award, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi will be honored at The 23rd Genesis Awards on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Named after the late Genesis Awards founder, Gretchen Wyler, the Wyler Award is one of The Humane Society of the United States's most prestigious awards and is given to a celebrity or public figure who has made news on behalf of animals. Wyler was Broadway headliner and animal activist.
"Ellen and Portia stand up for their beliefs, and they have had a major impact in spreading the message about animal protection," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS.
"They had a particularly significant role in helping to pass Proposition 2, and they helped make the case to the people of California and to the rest of the nation that all animals deserve humane treatment, including animals raised for food."
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| 2009 Wyler Award Recipient Portia de Rossi |
Following in the footsteps of former Wyler Award honorees Sir Paul McCartney and Hayden Panettiere, Ellen and Portia can look forward to a warm welcome at The 23rd Genesis Awards, the only awards show of its kind which celebrates the media for celebrating animals.
"I am delighted that we are able to recognize Ellen and Portia at an event where their efforts and compassion are truly appreciated," said Beverly Kaskey, senior director of The HSUS's Hollywood office and executive producer of the annual Genesis Awards.
"It's fitting that they should be honored with an award named after someone who used her celebrity to raise awareness of animal issues."
Updated Feb. 11, 2009
