Pencils of Promise held their annual gala at Cipriani on October 21st, 2015.
Pencils of Promise isย a nonยญprofit organization that builds schools and provides educational opportunities forย underprivileged children.ย The nonยญprofitโs founder Adam Braun honored Mike Weiss (Board of Directors, PoP & VP of Growth, Maple) and Salesforce/Salesforce Foundation for their exceptional support of the organization.
The gala had a star studded guest list which includedย Usher, Karlie Kloss, Stacy Londonย and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Pencils of Promise featured a 3Dย virtual reality experience that transported guests to a school in Ghana, so attendees could fully experience what they are helping.
The lavish Cipriani was the perfect venue for the gala. With over 700ย guests, the ballroom wasย elegant, yet still had a very intimate feel. Each table featuredย pencils and pictures of children.ย As weย satย waiting for the surprise performer weย could not help but look at all the photos of the children onย the wall and admire the work of the organization.
As the lights dimmed, Oscar and Grammyย award winning artist John Legend graced the stage. He performed โBridge over Troubled Water” and โAllย of Me.”
As the night continued many moving speeches were made by Adam Braun and many Pencils of Promise supporters.ย Stacy London shared, “I luckily found this charity with knowing someoneย who is very active in it and his enthusiasm was so infectious that I could not say no. This is veryย important because you are educating youth so they can feel good about themselves.”
About the organization:
Pencils of Promise (โPoPโ) is a for-purpose organization founded in 2008 with the goal of increasing access to quality education for children in the developing world. PoP works with communities across the globe to build schools and create programs that provide educational opportunities for children, no matter where they are born or what resources they have. To date, PoP has built over 300 schools and provided access to education to more than 30,000 students throughout Laos, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Ghana, establishing itself as a leader amongst the innovative global nonprofits working toward sustainable social change.
-Brianna Bicking
