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May 9, 2008  |
The 2008 Foundation Annual Fundraising Event will be held Friday evening May 9th at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. Join your Best Friends on our 20th anniversary for Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. (original members of the 5th Dimension), The Drifters and Chuck Brown. For sponsorship and ticket sales information, contact agoldsmith@bestfriendsfoundation.org or (202) 478-9685. For more event details, use this link to the event page. Please join us for dinner, dancing and fun at what has been called "Washington's best party." |
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November 9, 2007  |
Best Friends on Fox News—The O'Reilly Factor Elayne Bennett, President and Founder of the Best Friends Foundation, appeared on |
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Washington, DC – Youth and adult mentors from Washington, DC and across the nation participated in the Best Friends Foundation’s third annual National Youth Leadership Summit – Today’s Leaders, Tomorrow’s Future at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, July 22-25, 2007. Over 150 youth leaders attended this national leadership summit to hear from presenters and engage in discussions that address the current state of youth. Each youth leader gained a greater knowledge on how to avoid violence, drugs, alcohol and premarital sex, as well as listened to presentations on college/career prep and financial planning. Summit Highlights: “Stop The Madness,” panel discussion. Experts discussed issues and solutions regarding adolescent risk behavior. Panelists included The Honorable Robert Flores, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Dr. David Murray, Chief Scientist for Counter-Drug Technology Assessment Center, Office of National Drug Control Policy; Jose Dominguez, Director of Grants Administration, DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation; Tyrone C. Parker, Co-founder and Executive Director of Alliance for Concerned Men; Beverly Watts Davis, Senior Advisor on Substance Abuse Policy, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); and Seth Leibsohn, Producer of William Bennett’s “Morning In America” radio show. Best Friends Foundation Founder and President, Elayne Bennett, served as moderator. Best Friends Foundation’s student musical production, “Make Music Not Madness,” with special guest appearance by acclaimed singer and actress Melba Moore, most recognized for making history as Luttiebelle in the Broadway production “Purlie,” and becoming the first black actress to win a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. |
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May 11, 2007 |
Washington, DC - Marriott Wardman Park Hotel . This ceremony recognized the achievements of the DC Best Friends, Diamond Girls Leadership, Best Men and Best Men Leadership and the dedication of their school principals, coordinators, parents and teacher mentors. Guest speakers were Will A. Gunn, President and CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and George Sanker, Principal Hope Community Charter School. The audience was treated to special performances from Make Music Not Madness. DC 2007 Essay Winners:
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| April 27, 2007 "Rockin' at The Ritz" Annual Fundraising Event |
Foundation Annual Fundraising Event -"Rockin' at The Ritz" was held on Friday evening April 27th, 2007 at The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC. Performers this year were Fabian, Jerry Butler, Barbara Lewis and Bobby Vee & The Vees.  |
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June 9, 2006
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Read about last year's Recognition Ceremonies |
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| June 6, 2006 Newark Diamond Girl Recognition Ceremony |
Newark, New Jersey - New Jersey Institute of Technology Q. Yolanda Simmons, Diamond Girls Leadership Program Coordinator |
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May 23, 2006 |
Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall See more photos of the ceremony DC 2006 Essay Winners:
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| May 16, 2006 |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -
Holiday Inn Select, University Center Pittsburgh's ceremony included recognizing students from both middle schools. Theresa, Denise and Danielle won Friendship Awards. L Nise was the Essay Winner and Ms. Nolan was named most dedicated mentor. The Best Friend Girl Achievement Award went to Betty (for best attendance) and Chelsye. All Best Friends girls received a jewelry charm to recognize their commitment to the program throughout the year. Peg Foster, Best Friends Program Director ___________________________________________________________________ |
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| May 12, 2006 |
Martinsville, Virginia - Martinsville Middle School The program included two distinguished speakers: Latrice Mitchell, a former Martinsville Best Friend/Diamond Girl, and Nancy Redd, former Miss Virginia. Latrice was in the first Best Friends class at Martinsville Middle School. She was also in the first class of Diamond Girls to graduate from Martinsville High School. Currently, Latrice is studying Early Childhood Education at Patrick Henry Community College. She looks forward to completing her bachelor’s degree and teaching elementary education. Nancy Redd graduated with honors from Harvard University in 2003. She majored in Women’s Studies. She was named Miss Virginia in 2003 and went on to the top 10 at Miss America 2004. As an undergraduate Nancy was selected as one of Glamour Magazine’s Top 10 College Women“Most likely to succeed – at anything!” She supports a number of charities including, 4-H and Martinsville’s local Free-Clinic. Recently, Redd became a spokesperson for the Dale Carnegie Institute’s newest book How to Win Friends and Influence People - for Teens.  The Recognition Program also included dance numbers from the 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. It concluded with all the girls singing the Best Friend theme song. Mentors were named in the program and honored. Supporters of this site include The Lucy Sale Foundation, Martinsville Virginia. Carolyn Baptist, Best Friends Program Director |
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May 11, 2006 |
Newark, New Jersey - Nanina’s in the Park, Belleville, New Jersey |
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May 9, 2006 |
Indian River, Florida -
Marsh Landing Restaurant, Fellsmere, Florida Dr. Martha McAdams, Best Friends Program Director |
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| May 5, 2006 Charlotte Recognition Ceremony |
Charlotte, NC -
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Halton Arena
Diane Glover, Best Friends and Best Men Program Director |
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March 4 , 2006
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Washington, DC—“Do You Remember When Rock Was Young?” At the Best Friends Foundation’s annual fundraiser philanthropist Foster Friess and his wife Lynn announced a million dollar match offer to the audience. They extended the match for monies raised by the Foundation until March 31st and then donated one million dollars to the Foundation at a special "Have a Heart" dinner on March 30th. The Foundation expresses it's deepest gratitude for their caring generosity and to all the donors who contributed during the Million Match campaign. We cannot thank you enough. Contact Roberta Freer, (202) 478-9677 or Elayne Bennett (202) 478-9684 for more details. The March 4th fundraiser event audience of students and dignitaries was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Special guests included Mayor Anthony Williams, Senator George Allen, Susan Allen, Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, Andrea Steele, Representative Roy Blunt, Ambassador Van Eenennaam of the Netherlands, Ambassador Jim Nicholson, Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation, Gail Norton, Secretary of the Interior, Jim Kimsey, Fred and Marlene Malek, Jack Evans, John McLaughlin, Morton Kondracke and William Bennett, former Secretary of Education. Students from the Best Friends, Best Men, Diamond Girl Leadership, and Best Men Leadership Programs featured their musical talents in a special performance with Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge of “We Are Family” and “Let’s Hear it for the Boys.” The students’ performance “brought down the house.” The Best Men boys step drill and drum line was awe-inspiring and led to the generous match offer. Three Dog Night appropriately concluded the truly joyous evening with their hit “Joy to the World.” All proceeds from the event went to support the Best Friends Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. |
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| August, 2005 |
Best Friends
clothing sent to Hurricane Katrina victims |
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July
25-30, 2005 |
Best
Friends Foundation Youth Leadership Summit
and
National Youth Summit Best Friends, Best Men and Leadership participants from Washington, DC, Milwaukee, WI, Erie, PA, San Diego, CA and Clay County, KY gathered for the first ever Best Friends Youth Leadership Summit from July 25th to July 28th. Day one of the summit was devoted to the Best Friends curriculum as leadership students immersed themselves in information from their student journals. While serving as ambassadors for their sites, the students discussed topics such as; violence prevention, media influences, decision making and participated in a debate about positive music choices. The activities concluded with a banquet to honor all College Council members who received scholarships in addition to the new Diamond Girl bracelet. At the end of the night, all of the students attending the Summit had the opportunity to take a tour of Washington, DC's monuments and landmarks. Over the next few days, the Foundation partnered with the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services for their Annual Youth Summit, which was also held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. Leadership students had the chance to meet and work with other youth from all over the country and engage in seminars on advocacy in their communities and on enhancing their leadership skills. The students had a marvelous time at this year's youth summit. |
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| April 29, 2005 |
Mona
Charen's article "Abstaining on abstinence data" appeared
in THE WASHINGTON TIMES. See
the article online. Mona Charen
is a syndicated columnist and political analyst living in the Washington,
D.C. area. She launched her syndicated column in 1987 and it has become
one of the fastest growing columns in the industry. It is featured in
more than 200 papers, including the Boston Globe, the Baltimore Sun, the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and the
Washington Times. She spent 6 years as a regular commentator on CNN's
"Capital Gang" and "Capital Gang Sunday," and has served as a judge of
the Pulitzer Prizes. |
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| April 28, 2005 |
"Abstinence program shows results" article by Cheryl Wetzstein published in THE WASHINGTON TIMES. See the article online. Ms. Wetzstein's article was also about the study of the Best Friends program by Robert Lerner, Ph.D., published in the Journal of Adolescent and Family Health.
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| April 27, 2005 |
Major
study release on Adolescent Abstinence |
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April 2 , 2005
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"Do
You Remember When Rock Was Young?" Annual event was
held April 2, 2005. See Out
and About "Best Friends: A Beacon of Hop" in the Washington
Post and "Best
Friends Foundation Gala" in Washington Life magazine. |
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APRIL 23, 2004
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Elayne
Bennett, David Robinson Recipients of 2004 Simon Foundation Prizes
The Prize for Social Entrepreneurship, along with a cash award of $250,000, was presented to Ms. Bennett, who is founder and president of the Best Friends Foundation located in Washington, D.C. She is widely respected for development of in-school programs that not only help adolescents understand the risks of, but abstain from, drugs, sex and alcohol use. First offered in 1987 to a class of sixth-grade girls in Washington, D. C., the Best Friends program today is conducted in more than 100 schools in 26 cities and in 15 states, as well as in Washington, D. C. and the Virgin Islands. In 2000, the work was expanded to include boys, today there are Best Men programs in five cities. On average, the Foundation serves approximately 5,000 girls and 1,000 boys and has generated impressive results. Research has shown that compared to their peers, among Best Men boys, drug use was 33 percent lower and sexual activity declined 20 percent. Among Best Friend girls, alcohol use declined 30 percent, and 40 percent of program participants stopped using drugs altogether. David Robinson, two-time NBA World Champion, received the Prize in Philanthropic Leadership. Famous for his achievements with the San Antonio Spurs, Mr. Robinson was honored for his many contributions to his community. The recognition included a gift of $250,000 to the charity of his choice. In 1992, David and his wife, Valerie, created the David Robinson Foundation to benefit community programs that meet the physical and spiritual needs of families primarily in their adopted hometown of San Antonio. Considered the single largest gift made by a professional athlete, the Robinsons donated more than $9 million to create The Carver Academy in downtown San Antonio. The project opened in 2001 and benefits many low-income, at-risk students. The school offers elementary-age children a challenging academic program featuring small classes, leadership opportunities and a nurturing family-like environment based on Judeo-Christian scripture. Named for African-American botanist and educator George Washington Carver, Robinson's hope for the school is that Carver graduates return and reinvest in the community. For more information, visit www.thecarveracademy.org. The Simon
Prizes were inaugurated in 2001, as part of the Foundation's efforts to
further the legacy of its namesake, who was Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
from 1974 to 1977. William E. Simon, Jr. says that the Simon Prizes underscore
an important aspect of his late father's life. "My father firmly believed
that one person could make a profound difference in the lives of others,
and through this prize program – which he hoped to make a kind of
Nobel Prize in philanthropy and entreprenurship – he wanted to inspire
others to create and support programs that help people to help themselves."
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