Asian Nonprofit Leaders Meed in San Francisco for Give2Asia's 10th Anniversary

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 19, 2012

On October 2, Give2Asia celebrates its 10th anniversary by convening prominent philanthropic leaders from Asia and the United States who are addressing some of the most pressing social issues in Asia today. Over the past ten years, Give2Asia has received $201 million in gifts to improve communities in 23 countries.

Representatives of 14 leading Asian nonprofit organizations will attend, highlighting work in Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam; and, working in the fields of education, health, disaster response, livelihood, environment and social entrepreneurship.

The celebration will take place at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel in downtown San Francisco. Give2Asia is hosting a Lunch & Forum from noon to 4 p.m. A reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. will be followed by the Give2Asia 10th Anniversary Awards Gala from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Give2Asia’s 10th Anniversary Awards Gala

Give2Asia’s evening Awards Gala will bring together over 300 philanthropic and business leaders, to honor our donors and partners seeking to improve the quality of life in communities across Asia.

Jed Emerson, co-author of Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference, and advocate of “blended value” will give the keynote address at the evening gala.

Local partners attending from across Asia include:

•     Sakena Yacoobi of Afghan Institute of Learning, providing health and education services in Afghanistan;
•     Atria Rai of Ancora Foundation, improving education in Indonesia;
•     Sebastien Marot of Friends International, providing education, health, and livelihood opportunities for marginalized street children in Southeast Asia;
•     Linn Kincannon of Thriive, supporting small businesses creating social impact in Vietnam;
•     Chung To of Chi Heng Foundation, focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and services in Hong Kong and China;
•     Xu Yongguang of the China Foundation Center, working to build a transparent and effective philanthropic sector in China;
•     Fang Minghe of Green Eyes, promoting environmental education in China;
•     Yang Linfeng of Sunshine Library, developing innovative educational software and technologies in China;
•     Abbie Jung of Synergy Social Ventures focused on poverty alleviation and the environment in China and Hong Kong;
•     Yoshi Ishikawa of Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities (ETIC), supporting social entrepreneurship in Japan;
•     Yusuke Wada of Second Harvest Asia, the first food bank in Japan;
•     Takashi Yamamoto of Peace Boat Disaster Volunteer Center, training volunteers for disaster response in Japan.
•     Raghavan Anand of Milaap, focused on social entrepreneurship in India and Singapore.

Give2Asia will honor several of its partners at the gala, including:

•     Gururaj “Desh” and Jaishree Deshpande of the Deshpande Family Foundation;
•     Allan Liu, President of the Robert N. Chang Foundation and Give2Asia’s first donor;
•     William and Patricia Taylor of the Bill & Pat Bali Fund; and
•     Gwendolyn Moore (posthumously) of the Gwen Moore Children of China Fund and Endowment.

Find more information about the gala at http://www.give2asia.org/gala.

Give2Asia’s 10th Anniversary Lunch & Forum

Prior to the Gala, Give2Asia will convene a series of expert discussions on effective philanthropic investment. 150 philanthropists, international nonprofit leaders and heads of business will take part in interactive discussions on funding successful program models.

•     Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande of the Deshpande Family Foundation will give the lunch keynote address on philanthropy as a sandbox for social innovation;
•      Scott Rozelle of the Rural Education Action Project (REAP) at Stanford University will lead a session on assessing innovative program impact in China; and
•     Sebastien Marot of Friends International will lead a session on replicating successful programs across borders.

Find more information about the lunch and forum at http://www.give2asia.org/forum.

About Give2Asia
Give2Asia makes international grantmaking safe, effective and impactful. Give2Asia has demonstrated its ability to serve the needs of international philanthropy with its on-the-ground presence, knowledge of diverse social and economic conditions, and the expert matching of donor interests with innovative and effective grantees.

Matt Grager
Communications Associate
(415) 967-6331
mgrager(at)give2asia(dot)org

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