32nd Annual Dinner Gala Kick-off : 2.1.07

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• Dinner Gala 2007 >

The American Ireland Fund kicked-off its 32nd Annual Dinner Gala with a reception held at the Metropolitan Club last night, February 1st. It was announced that the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, will be the recipient of this year’s Humanitarian Award, for her contribution to the fostering peace in Northern Ireland.

It was also announced that the Leslie C. Quick Jr. Leadership Award will go to Martin Sullivan, President and CEO of AIG. Last year’s recipient of the Leslie C. Quick Jr. Award, Bob McCann, will be the Honorary Chariman of this year’s dinner. The Co-Chairs for 2007 will be Declan Kelly, (Financial Dynamics USA), Joseph S. Berry, Jr. (Principal, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods); Michael R. George (Director, Deutsche Bank); Bart A. Grenier (MD & Global Head of Specialty Fixed Income Deutsche Asset Management); Michael P. Higgins (MD & Head of Real Estate Finance, CIBC World Markets); and Ciarán T. O’Kelly (MD & Interim Head of Equity Capital Markets, Bank of America Securities).    

As one of New York’s most prestigious annual fundraising events, this gala event is expected to be the most successful event of 2007 for the Ireland Funds in North America.  We will use the proceeds of the dinner to support Ireland’s greatest resource, its young people, by making major gifts to two very special projects:

Integrated Education
In Northern Ireland only 6% of Catholics and Protestants
are educated together with the danger that the prejudices of the past will be inherited by the next
generation. To address this we will build our own American Ireland Fund integrated school educating Catholics and Protestants jointly.

Barretstown
A member of the ‘Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’ founded
by Paul Newman, Barretstown has provided care for
thousands of children with cancer. Together with AIG
we will fund the “Barretstown and Beyond” program,
extending its services to those in Ireland and elsewhere
in Europe, where no similar facilities exist. This will
double the number of kids receiving support.