Black Meetings and Tourism

Black Meetings & Tourism February/March 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 88 DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. "Thanks to their support, there will soon be a King among Presidents on the National Mall." The fundraising total surrounding the Miami Dream Dinner is $1.5 million. The Memorial Foundation has raised a total of $102 million out of the needed $120 million. Major donors to date include: General Motors, Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, NBA/WNBA, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Walt Disney Company Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Ford Motor Fund, Toyota, AARP, AFLAC, BP America, Inc., CIGNA, Credit Unions of the United States, DuPont, ExxonMobil Foundation, Fannie Mae Corporation, FedEx Corporation, GE, Ann and Joel Horowitz Family Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sheila C. Johnson-Newman, Lehman Brothers, George Lucas, MacFarlane Partners, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, McDonald's Corporation, MetLife Foundation, National Association of Realtors (NAR), National Education Association (NEA), Nationwide Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Pfizer Foundation, Prudential Financial, Inc., Shell Oil Company, State Farm Insurance, Verizon Foundation, Viacom, Wal-Mart and Morehouse College, among others. Pictured here at the ceremony (left to right) are Rod Gillum, chairman of the Memorial Foundation; Former President Bill Clinton; Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of the Memorial Foundation; Alberto Ibargüen, presi- dent and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Source: AANEWSWIRE FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, KNIGHT FOUNDATION, AND SOUTH FLORIDIANS JOIN IN MIAMI TO BUILD MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NATIONAL MEMORIAL Knight Foundation Spearheads South Florida Campaign with $1 Million Donation Former President Bill Clinton and the South Florida com- munity turned out in full force at the newly renovated Fountaineblea Miami recently to support the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. President Clinton received the Memorial Foundation's "Humanitarian Award" and served as the keynote speaker while the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, through its donation of $1 million to the Memorial, served as the lead dinner sponsor. "As we approach what would have been Dr. King's 80th birthday, we can be proud of the progress we've made as a nation to lift racial barriers and form a more perfect union," President Clinton said. "Never before have we had the power we have today to make Dr. King's dream a reality, and together, we can build a more just and equal world for future generations." President Clinton received the Memorial Foundation's Humanitarian Award for his unparal- leled work related to economic empowerment, racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation, health security and leadership development and citizen service. He also played a key role in the Memorial's inception and has remained an active supporter. On July 16, 1998, Clinton signed a Joint Congressional Resolution authorizing the building of a memorial and on November 13, 2006 he participated in the Ceremonial Groundbreaking. He has served on the Memorial Foundation's President's Council for sev- eral years. "I couldn't be prouder that South Florida has made its mark on this important tribute to Dr. King, espe- cially together with President Clinton," said Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of Knight Foundation, who served as the dinner co-Chair with his wife Susana. "Dr. King had a transformational impact on the nation and the world. But his work is not finished. That's why Knight Foundation is a part of this effort to inspire future generations to con- tinue to fight for a free and just society." "I am humbled that President Clinton, Knight Foundation and the South Florida community joined togeth- er to help build this lasting Memorial to Dr. King," said Harry E. Johnson, Sr., President and CEO of Washington,

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