Africare Celebrates 40 Years Of Development Assistance To Africa

29 October 2010
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Africare (Washington, DC)
press release

Awards presented to Nelson Mandela, Dr. Nzozi N. Okonjo-Iweala and Rex Tillerson

Live performances by Grammy winning artist Angelique Kidjo and former American Idol contestant Elliott Yamin

 

The Bishop Walker Dinner

Friday, November 5, 2010

7:00pm Reception/ 8:00pm Dinner and Program

National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.

Africare, one of the nation's oldest organizations providing development assistance to Africa, is celebrating 40 years of service to the continent with its annual Bishop John T. Walker Memorial Dinner on Friday, November 5, 2010 at the historic National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

This year's gala event will honor His Excellency Nelson R. Mandela for his lifetime commitment to freedom in South Africa and his contribution to peace for all mankind. Africare will also present two other special awards, the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award to Dr. Ngozi N. Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank for her contributions to improving the financial stability of Africa's economies, especially Nigeria, and the Corporate Service Award to Mr. Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation for the company's contributions to progress and economic development in Africa.

Africare's President, Dr. Darius Mans says, "Africare has a proud history of working with the people of Africa in all aspects related to daily life including, Food Security, Agriculture Development, Health and HIV/AIDS, Water and Sanitation and other sustainable programs. We are celebrating 40 years of service but we are also looking forward in search of new and innovative ways to help and initiate ideas that will empower the people of Africa to improve their communities. Our honorees this year all represent a commitment to freedom, a contribution to peace and helping the African people achieve huge strides in becoming self-sustaining, innovative and self-empowering.   It is our honor to stand with them in this quest."

The black tie or national dress celebration will bring together over 1500 people including national and international government leaders, the African Diplomatic Corps, representatives from multinational corporations, and individuals from the world's most influential social, educational, and religious organizations. Grammy Award-winning singer and activist Angelique Kidjo and American Idol finalist, platinum recording artist and malaria champion Elliott Yamin will be performing at the dinner.

The Africare Bishop John T. Walker Memorial Dinner is the nation's largest annual fund raising event for Africa. It is held every year in memory of Bishop John T. Walker.   Bishop Walker was Africare's longtime Board chairman and the first African-American Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C. He distinguished himself as an exemplar of peace, justice, and interracial harmony. The Bishop Walker Dinner plays an important role in enabling Africare to both broaden awareness about its work in Africa and to raise critically needed funds to deliver life-saving services.

Prior recipients of the Bishop Walker Humanitarian Service Award include singer songwriter, John Legend, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter, U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, former National Council of Negro Women Chair and President Emeritus, the late Dr. Dorothy I. Height, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates.

Africare is a leading non-profit organization specializing in African development assistance to improve the quality of life in Africa. It is also the oldest and largest African-American led organization in that field. Since its founding in 1970, Africare has delivered over $1 billion in assistance and support --- with over 2,500 projects and millions of beneficiaries --- to 36 countries Africa-wide. Africare has its international headquarters in Washington, DC, with field offices currently in some 20 African countries.

Tickets for the Bishop John T. Walker Memorial Dinner can be purchased at www.africare.org.

Media credentials will be limited. Please contact Joia Jefferson Nuri at 240-603-7905/joia@inthepubliceyecom.com or Yolonda Faulkner at 571-970-5908/ yolonda@detailspublicrelations.com

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