Beirut, April 13th 2016: The AMIDEAST/LEBANON Advisory Board (ALAB) hosted its first Fundraising Gala Dinner at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut, on Friday, April 8, 2016, in the presence of 500 prominent political and social figures.
AMIDEAST is a leading American non-profit organization, founded in 1951, engaged in education and development activities in the Middle East and North Africa. AMIDEAST programs and services, present in 12 Arab countries, touch the lives of half a million individuals a year. “I am so honored to head AMIDEAST, an organization that is doing so much to assist young people in this region to expand their opportunities,” noted Ambassador Theodore Kattouf, President and CEO of AMIDEAST.
Since its launch in 2010, the AMIDEAST/Lebanon Advisory Board is currently comprised of 28 business and civic leaders in Lebanon, the USA and the Gulf, under the leadership of Mr. Anis Nassar, who noted during the dinner: “Our commitment to you is that we shall not leave any student behind.”
The board has played a vital role and their funds have been used to support the launch of the Entrepreneur Institute (300 entrepreneurs to date), a U.S.-accredited Professional Certificate in English Language Teaching program, and expanding AMIDEAST’s impact in helping Lebanese and Palestinian students win scholarships to study in the USA (78 students have won scholarships totaling over $13 million to date).
The purpose of the event was to spread awareness about the organization’s wide range of services and impact in Lebanon, and to raise additional contributions to help even more students win scholarships in the USA at prestigious universities to empower their lives and careers. The event, organized by Events Production, was marked by a movie presenting testimonials of students whose lives have changed thanks to AMIDEAST, pledges and important contributions were raised, and those in attendance enjoyed the entertainment program of the evening.
AMIDEAST hopes to support people in all regions of Lebanon regardless of their age, financial status, gender, or background, and all the proceeds from this Gala Dinner will help support even more students win life-transforming scholarship opportunities.