NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Kids -- the premiere non-profit organization in New York City that teaches underserved high school students about international issues and civic engagement -- raised more than $470,000 at its Annual Benefit on January 14. Nearly 250 people attended the Benefit at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Vincent Mai, chairman of AEA Investors, one of the nation's oldest private equity firms, received the Distinguished Global Citizen Award. Former New York Giants star Tiki Barber was the Special Honored Guest.
"Vincent Mai and Tiki Barber have gone well beyond their professional success to dedicate their lives to the same ideals as Global Kids," said Carole Artigiani, founder and executive director of Global Kids. "Both Vincent and Tiki have taken initiatives to improve the lives of young people around the world, no matter their background, to make them into true global citizens. We are proud to recognize them at our Annual Benefit."
Michael Sonnenfeldt, Chairman of MUUS & Company, and Christopher Williams of Williams Capital Group, L.P. co-chaired the event.
Proceeds from the evening will be used to support Global Kids, which, for two decades, has been educating and inspiring urban youth to become successful students and global and community leaders by engaging them in socially dynamic, content-rich learning experiences.
Global Kids will continue to accept contributions. Donors can contribute online at www.globalkids.org or contact Jessica Schulberg at 212-226-0130, jschulberg@globalkids.org.
"Sixteen Global Kids Youth Leaders participated in the event, representing such neighborhoods as Pelham Parkway and Allentown in the Bronx; Crown Heights, Flatbush, and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn; and Astoria, East Elmhurst, and Long Island City in Queens. Nothing is more satisfying than to see the ease and confidence with which the Global Kids interact with the leaders of our society who attend our events," said Artigiani.
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) continued to show its support for Global Kids by hosting the Benefit. Global Kids collaborates closely with the CFR, offering a three-week program at the Council's New York Headquarters called the U.S. in the World Summer Institute. The program brings underserved high school students to the Council to learn from world-renowned experts about critical foreign policy issues, to engage in leadership building activities, and to organize social action projects that stimulate dialogue within the larger youth community.
Two key leaders from the Council on Foreign Relations attended the event: Leslie H. Gelb, President Emeritus and Board Senior Fellow, and Richard Haass, President. Other prominent guests who attended the Benefit include Budd Schulberg, noted screenwriter, novelist and sports writer; Cora Weiss, Founder of the Hague Appeal for Peace, and President of the Samuel Rubin Foundation; Sanford Krieger, Partner at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, and Stanley Shuman of Allen & Company and Chairman of the Marc Haas Foundation.
The event also highlighted other Global Kids' achievements. Several students who presented at the Benefit attend the High School for Global Citizenship in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Global Kids co-founded this leading public school in 2003 with the New York City Department of Education. Now in its fifth year, HSGC offers a rigorous international affairs-based curriculum, and it has been cited by the Department of Education as a model for students seeking an alternative to large high schools.
Global Kids, Inc. (www,globalkids.org): Founded in 1989 and an independent nonprofit since 1993, Global Kids educates and inspires urban youth to become successful students and global and community leaders. Global Kids reaches more than 16,000 youth-the vast majority of whom come from underserved communities-through leadership programs at 14 New York City public high schools, and its citywide program. Over ninety percent of the high school seniors who participate in Global Kids' leadership program graduate from high school.
The Global Kids, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4850