CARE President to Speak to American University Graduates

CARE
Tuesday, 7 May 2002

Students from two American University graduate schools in Washington, D.C., will hear a traditional commencement address of encouragement on May 12 – but with a twist. Among the first post Sept. 11 graduating classes, these students will listen to a man who has dedicated his life to ending global poverty and believes it can happen with their help.

Peter D. Bell, president and CEO of CARE USA, the international organization for solutions to poverty, will address the schools of Communications and International Service on Sunday at 9 a.m. at American University's Bender Arena. Widely known in international humanitarian and human rights circles, Bell's remarks will draw from his own life experiences to illuminate the world into which the 2002 graduates are stepping.

With vivid examples of people he has met who put their lives on the line to work for peace and justice, Bell's address will place what could be an academic discussion of global poverty into personal terms of victory and hope, inspiring by example.

Time and again around the world, Bell has helped people in the poorest communities prove they can rise above expectations. Through the work of CARE and partner organizations Bell has seen seeds of peace and opportunity flower.

In a world of uncertainty and unrest, American University graduates will be offered an enriching pathway to accomplishment twinned with idealism, to ambition that never loses sight of justice. Conventional wisdom suggests that graduates forget the commencement address the day after. This time, the advice for the journey ahead will be filled with details to remember, for the future of us all.

For more information, or to contact CARE, see their website at: www.care.org