The young people he referred to are the "Philadelphia Young Dreamers." The Dreamers, from throughout the Delaware Valley, have faced obstacles but are achieving great things for themselves and their communities.
The gala featured Grammy Award-Winning Artist Stephanie Mills singing "Stand" with the Girard Academic Music Program Choir. CNN Anchor and Special Correspondent Soledad O'Brien served as Mistress of Ceremonies. Governor Edward G. Rendell was the honorary dinner chair.
"In his words and his actions, Dr. King inspired us, encouraged us, challenged us to reach higher, to overcome adversity and make a real and positive difference in our community and our country," said H. Edward Hanway, Chairman and CEO of CIGNA Corporation and chairman of the dinner. "It's in that same spirit of hope for the future that CIGNA is pleased to help lead the way in establishing a permanent memorial to Dr. King on the National Mall in Washington."
Guests at the dinner included NBA Legend and former Philadelphia 76er Darryl Dawkins, CEO and President of Welcome America Clifton Davis, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity General President Darryl R. Matthews, Sr. and one of the founding members of the Memorial Foundation Alfred C. Bailey.
Earlier this year, CIGNA, through the CIGNA Foundation, became the first Philadelphia-based company to contribute $1 million to the National Memorial and has taken a leadership role in bringing the Dream Dinner to Philadelphia to aid the drive to complete the memorial.
Recently, The Pew Charitable Trusts--also based in Philadelphia--committed $1 million to the Foundation for construction of the memorial and the Visitors' Center.
To bring special attention to Dr. King's message with today's youth, CIGNA worked with community partners to select ten "Philadelphia Young Dreamers." The Dreamers shared their stories as part of an inspiring evening.
The following young men and women were chosen as Dreamers: Ciera Bass, age 18; Emma Bullock, 22; Khalil Clark, 12; Xiomara Cosme, 15; Justin Faulkner, 16; John Westley Gilbert, 20; Kareem Goodwin, 19; Daniel Hackett, 14; Charles Rambert, 13, and Jamie Lynn Tomkowicz, 13.
To date, the Memorial Foundation has raised $86 million out of the needed $100 million for the Memorial. Major donors in addition to CIGNA and The Pew Charitable Trusts include: General Motors, Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, NBA/WNBA, The Walt Disney Company Foundation, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Coca-Cola Foundation, The Ford Motor Fund, Toyota, AARP, AFLAC, BP America, Inc., DuPont, ExxonMobil Foundation, Fannie Mae Corporation, FedEx Corporation, GE, Horowitz Family Foundation, Sheila C Johnson, Lehman Brothers, George Lucas, MacFarlane Partners, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, McDonald's Corporation, National Association of Realtors, National Education Association (NEA), PepsiCo Foundation, Prudential Financial, Inc., Shell Oil Company, State Farm Insurance, Verizon Foundation, Viacom, Wal-Mart and Morehouse College, among others.
Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be built on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial honoring Dr. King to be built in Washington, DC. The Ceremonial Groundbreaking took place on November 13, 2006 and the Memorial is scheduled to be completed in 2009. McKissack & McKissack / Turner Construction Company/ Gilford Corporation / Tompkins Builders, Inc. Joint Venture will serve as the Design-Build Team. For more information about the Memorial Foundation, please visit www.buildthedream.org
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