Washington, DC — The 2003 Africare Bishop John T. Walker Memorial Dinner
A top multicultural event and the largest, most prestigious annual event for Africa in the United States
Date: Thursday evening, October 9, 2003
Place: Hilton Washington Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.
Time: Receptions, 6:00-7:00 p.m.; dinner and program, 7:30-10:30 p.m.
Attendance: 2,200 corporate, government, national, and international supporters
Fund-raising goal: $1.5 million
Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Tommy G. Thompson, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Other Speakers: The Honorable Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader; The Honorable David Satcher, M.D., former U.S. Surgeon General and Director, National Center for Primary Care, Morehouse School of Medicine; the Honorable Barbara Lee, U.S. Representative (California), member of the House Subcommittee on Africa, and HIV/AIDS activist; the Honorable Ronald V. Dellums, Former Chairman, Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, and former Congressman, California
Mistress of Ceremonies: Maureen Bunyan, Anchor, WJLA-TV
Musical Performances: Youssou N'Dour; Memory of African Culture's Manding Griot Ensemble
Other distinguished guests: The Honorable David Dinkins, Former Mayor of New York; the Honorable Kweisi Mfume, President and Chief Executive Officer, NAACP; Dr. Dorothy I. Height, Chair and President Emerita, National Council of Negro Women, Inc.; the Honorable Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development; Mr. Gaddi H. Vasquez, Director, Peace Corps
Honorees: Bill and Melinda Gates
Africare will present its 2003 Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award to Bill and Melinda Gates, Co-Founders of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for outstanding work in the arena of global health, including the African HIV/AIDS crisis; for raising public awareness of global health issues as well as other issues of importance, both in the United States and abroad; and for encouraging, by example, activist philanthropy for a new generation and a new millennium.
Honorary Chair: Maria Walker
National Honorary Patron: The Honorable Jimmy Carter
International Honorary Patrons: The chairmen of Africa's major regional organizations: the African Union (President Chissano of Mozambique), CEMAC (President Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo), COMESA (President al-Bashir of Sudan), ECOWAS (President Kufuor of Ghana) and SADC (President Mkapa of Tanzania)
National Chair: The Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., Founder and President Emeritus, Morehouse School of Medicine, and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
General Chairs: The Honorable Jack Kemp, Co-Director, Empower America, and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and the Honorable Rodney Slater, Partner, Patton Boggs LLP, and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Sponsor: Africare
The oldest and largest African-American organization focusing exclusively on aid to Africa. Private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) status. Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Africare's programs address needs in the principal areas of food security and agriculture as well as health and HIV/AIDS - with additional work in water resource development, environmental management, basic education, microenterprise development, governance initiatives, and emergency humanitarian aid - in 26 countries Africa-wide. Founded in 1970. Dinner proceeds benefit Africare.
PRESS RELEASE: Africare to Honor Bill and Melinda Gates
