FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE GABRIELLE GIFFORDS AND CAPTAIN MARK KELLY TO BE HONORED BY ARIZONA TOWN HALL WITH PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

Public Invited to Attend Award Luncheon Honoring the Couple Scottsale, AZ - Former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly are the recipients of the 2012 Arizona Town Hall Shirley Agnos Legacy Award. They are being recognized for their and dedicated public service, as well as outstanding support of civic engagement. "We are thrilled to be honoring this highly respected couple at our 101st Town Hall focusing on civic leadership," says Tara Jackson, President of Arizona Town Hall. "We can't imagine two more fitting recipients during the same year that the Town Hall celebrates 50 years of bringing civic engagement, civic leadership and civil discourse to Arizona." The award will be presented at a luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 27, from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m., at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale as part of the 101st Arizona Town Hall titled Civic Leadership for Arizona's Future. To ensure diverse perspectives, participation in the Town Hall discussions is by invitation only. However, meal programs are open to the public, including the special awards ceremony being integrated into Tuesday's lunch program. Giffords is scheduled to attend the luncheon and receive the award, which is named after Shirley Agnos, President Emerita of Arizona Town Hall. Kelly will not be able to be in attendance. A former Arizona legislator, Giffords was elected to Congress three times beginning in 2007 and became one of the leading centrists, working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. A third-generation Tucsonan, Giffords dedicated herself to public service for more than a decade and is a longtime member of the Arizona Town Hall. She resigned from Congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery after being seriously wounded at a 2011 community event in Tucson. After undergoing physical and speech therapy in Houston for more than a year, she recently moved back to Tucson with Kelly, a retired Navy Pilot and NASA astronaut. A formal naval aviator who flew combat missions in the Gulf Way, Kelly became a NASA shuttle pilot in 1996 and flew his first mission in 2001. Last year he led the final flight of space shuttle Endeavor. The couple also penned their memoir, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, in 2011. Ticket sales and table purchases are available at: www.aztownhall.org/Gabby. Reservations are required by November 16, 2012. This special luncheon is sponsored by Bank of America. Additional sponsorships are available. The Arizona Town Hall on Civic Leadership will be held Nov. 25-28 at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale. It is sponsored by: APS; Arizona Commerce Authority; The Flinn Foundation; Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation; Snell & Wilmer; Cox Communications; SRP; and SCF Arizona.