muhammad ali

Honoree

Over 40 forty years after he burst on the scene as a gold-medal winner at the 1960 Olympics, Muhammad Ali remains a magical figure, known and loved throughout the world.

As a boxer, Muhammad brought unprecedented speed and grace to his sport, while his charm and wit changed forever what the public expected a champion to be. His accomplishments in the ring were the stuff of legend, but there was always far more to Muhammad than what took place in the ring.

As a humanitarian, Ali gives his support both abroad and at home. Internationally, he has hand-delivered food and medicine to such sites as the Harapan Kita Hospital for Children in Jakarta. At home, he has helped such organizations as the Chicago-based adoption agency, The Cradle; the Special Olympics’ organization Best Buddies; and Herbert E. Birch Services, which runs a school for handicapped children.

In addition to being honored by Amnesty International with their “Lifetime Achievement Award,” the Secretary-General of the UN bestowed him with a citation as “United Nations Messenger of Peace.”

In November 2005 he and his wife Lonnie co-founded the Muhammad Ali Center in their hometown of Louisville, KY with the mission to preserve the Ali legacy for future generations. They are also very active in the Muhammad Parkinson Center (MAPC) which provides diagnostic and treatment services, research, education and support for those whose lives have been touched by Parkinson’s.

The Alis currently divide their time between Louisville, KY, Berrien Springs, MI, and Paradise Valley, AZ.