Pencils of Promise held their annual gala at Cipriani on October 21st, 2015.
Pencils of Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds schools and provides educational opportunities for underprivileged children. The nonprofit’s 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 included Usher, Karlie Kloss, Stacy London and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Pencils of Promise featured a 3D 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 700 guests, the ballroom was elegant, yet still had a very intimate feel. Each table featured pencils and pictures of children. As we sat waiting for the surprise performer we could not help but look at all the photos of the children on the wall and admire the work of the organization.
As the lights dimmed, Oscar and Grammy award winning artist John Legend graced the stage. He performed “Bridge over Troubled Water” and “All of Me.”
As the night continued many moving speeches were made by Adam Braun and many Pencils of Promise supporters. Stacy London shared, “I luckily found this charity with knowing someone who is very active in it and his enthusiasm was so infectious that I could not say no. This is very important because you are educating youth so they can feel good about themselves.”
About the organization:
Pencils of Promise (“PoP”) 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
