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February 17, 2004HUMANITARIAN AWARD: City will honor Jeff HaasHe has held many diversity workshopsByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - A local musician credited with spreading a message of diversity and tolerance through his music has been chosen for the city's Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award. Jeff Haas of Traverse City will receive the award at tonight's city commission meeting. He also is being honored for a long record of service to the community's physically disabled people. "I'm grateful to live in a community where human rights work and education are really appreciated," Haas said. "(Music) is really a great vehicle for discussing these issues." Haas, a jazz musician, has written more than 90 compositions, including a piece for last year's Martin Luther King Day celebration in Traverse City and for the 300th anniversary of Detroit - his hometown - three years ago. His musical group, the Jeff Haas Quintet, has conducted more than 350 diversity workshops in schools throughout the state to build understanding among different cultures and races. "(Haas) really illustrates what the award is all about," said Tom Shea, a local human rights advocate and former Sara Hardy award winner who nominated Haas for the honor, which is presented annually by the Traverse City Human Rights Commission. Haas and his wife, Kate, have also brought national and local talent together for several performances in the Grand Traverse region. "When he puts on a concert, you look at the stage and it looks like a cross-section of the United States," Shea said. "He's illustrating (diversity) through the arts - it's a whole different venue." The city commission and human rights board will host a public reception for Haas tonight at 6 p.m. at the Governmental Center, followed by the formal presentation of the award at 7 p.m. The Sara Hardy award was created 11 years ago to recognize area residents for their work on human rights issues. Hardy, who died in 1992, helped form the city's human rights commission more than 30 years ago. Last year's winner was Tom Appel, who opened the state's Department of Civil Rights office in Traverse City three years ago.
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