BUFFALO, N.Y. – WNED, in conjunction with Citizenship Counts, will be hosting a naturalization ceremony on Friday, April 29 in the WNED studios, 140 Lower Terrace in Buffalo.

Students from Hamburg Middle School, who have been learning about citizenship, were selected to participate in the naturalization ceremony.  They are responsible for coordinating all aspects of the event and will watch and play a part in the actual ceremony.  It will be officially overseen by Judge Michael J. Kaplan of the U.S. District Court and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.

The mission of Citizenship Counts is to educate students on the tenets of citizenship, inspire their pride in America and encourage them to participate in community service.   Since August 2008, the organization has provided support for both middle and high schools in Arizona as they complete the curriculum and host a naturalization ceremony. During the 2010-11 school year, Citizenship Counts will continue to expand its efforts in Arizona and introduce the program in several new communities, including Buffalo.

Citizenship Counts was founded by Gerda Weissman-Klein who is a Holocaust Survivor, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and made Buffalo her home after World War II.  She has written several books about her passion of educating our youth about citizenship, its importance in our society and why Americans should cherish this privilege.

Through WNED-TV, ThinkBright and Well TV, Classical 94.5/WNED-FM and WNED-AM 970 The Information Station, the member-supported WNED Buffalo/Toronto provides high quality programming and services that enlighten, inspire, entertain and educate Western New York and Southern Ontario communities. Additional information about WNED can be found at wned.org.