Dreams Across The Sea to Quench Students’ Thirst

Amanda Farahany, Sheryl McCalla (committee member), and Edward Buckley (committee member)

(L to R) Amanda Farahany, Sheryl McCalla (committee member), and Edward Buckley (committee member) at a water pump in Leogane, Haiti.

ATLANTA (Aug. 24, 2012) – Atlanta’s Dreams Across The Sea Gala will help Food For The Poor deliver life-saving, clean water to schools in communities throughout Haiti. The Caribbean-themed gala presented by W Atlanta Buckhead will be Saturday, Sept. 29.

Philanthropic-minded residents will enjoy an elegant evening of exceptional dining, live music, dancing and a silent auction. Bidding on silent auction prizes, such as exclusive art and collectibles from the Caribbean and Latin America, designer jewelry, luxury vacations, and golf and dining packages, offers opportunities for guests to support and donate to the cause. For a $25 donation, guests can also participate in the Starfish drawing to win unique prizes, including an Apple iPad.

“In Haiti many residents do not have access to the essentials of life, like clean drinking water,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “The installation of water wells near schools will make a tremendous difference in these communities. It will guarantee that children have access to safe drinking water, allowing them to spend more time in the classroom learning, rather than walking miles to find and gather water that might be contaminated to drink, cook, and clean.”

The Associated Press reports that more than 7,000 people have died in Haiti since the cholera outbreak was confirmed in October 2010. Gala attendees can help prevent the further spread of this waterborne illness by providing a donation to supply villages with safe drinking water.

“The right to clean drinking water is the most fundamental of human rights, for without this right, we are not able to enjoy or fully participate in our other God – given rights,” said Edward Buckley, Dreams Across The Sea committee member. For eight years, Buckley, with the assistance of Food For The Poor, has raised money to drill and install water wells throughout Jamaica and Haiti. Since 1998, Food For The Poor has completed more than 1,360 water projects.

Robin Mahfood will present The Mary E. Harverty Foundation with the 2012 Ambassadors For The Poor award for their long-term commitment to the charity’s house building initiative. Jane Haverty will receive the award on behalf of the foundation.

Gala co-chairman, Dr. Jason Regis, traveled to Jamaica and visited the McCooks Pen Community Development project built with 2011 gala proceeds. The project consists of 10 two-room permanent homes with access to clean water and sanitation. The families who moved into this project lived in deplorable conditions prior to moving into their new home.

Committee members for the 2012 Dreams Across The Sea Gala include co-chairmen Garvin Stewart and Dr. Jason Regis, Eyi Adadevoh, Treza Brooms-Johnson, Ed Buckley, Chris Curry, Jean Hanges, Sheryl McCalla, Sylvia McClure, Yetsa Osara, Nawal Shadeed, and Michelle Wattley.

“[Through this gala] we empower the people of Haiti to live independent, safe and healthy lives by helping them overcome real issues and disparities,” said Garvin Stewart, a gala co-chairman.

For additional information regarding the Dreams Across The Sea Gala, sponsorship levels, and tickets, available at $125 per person, please call, (888) 404-4248.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor.

For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Contact:
Jennifer Leigh Oates
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
[email protected]



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