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San Francisco, CA It was announced today that Archbishop George H. Niederauer will present the 2006 Loaves & Fishes Award for Outstanding Philanthropic Works to Richard C. Blum on Thursday, May 11, 2006 at the 9th Annual Loaves & Fishes Dinner, benefiting Catholic Charities CYO.
Widely respected for his dedication to the fight against global poverty, Blum is founder and chairman of the American Himalayan Foundation, which provides vital health care, educational, environmental, and social services throughout the Himalayan region. He is also a Trustee of the Carter Center where he was instrumental in developing village to village programs. Blum is a regent of the University of California, and founded the Center for Global Poverty to begin policy research at the Brookings Institution.
Blum’s passion for his work in developing countries and his $15 million contribution recently led to an adjacent initiative that established the Richard C. Blum Center for Developing Economics at UC Berkeley. The Center will tap the expertise and resources of the nation’s top public teaching and research university to achieve significant and financially sustainable solutions to problems affecting nearly 3 million people in developing countries that live on $2 a day or less.
Additionally, Blum is very active in the fight for religious tolerance and environmental issues. He is the co-chairman of the World Council on Religion and Peace, and serves on the boards of the World Wildlife Fund, the Wilderness Society and the Glide Foundation. Blum is Chairman of Blum Capital Partners and co-Chairman of Newbridge Capital, LLC.
In selecting Blum as his first awardee since assuming his new appointment in San Francisco in February, Archbishop Niederauer stated,”Dick’s work, commitment and concern for others are inspirational and serve as motivation for many. I am honored and am looking forward to participating in this event for the first time as well as recognizing Dick and the other honorees for such notable works. The evening will offer an opportunity to celebrate together some of the most important acts of charity, outstanding leadership and human service performed both locally and globally.”
Richard Blum commented, “I am very honored to accept the Loaves & Fishes Award. Catholic Charities CYO does wonderful work in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I am pleased to support their efforts to help people from every walk of life, especially youth, achieve their potential. I would like to do what I can to facilitate their charitable endeavors.”
Catholic Charities CYO Board President, Clint Reilly, noted, “Dick is a most deserving honoree, for he has been motivated for years to improve the quality of life for people around the world through the creation of hospitals, schools and support programs. At Catholic Charities CYO, we too strive to change lives every day.”
Also being honored at the event is the Carl Gellert & Celia Berta Gellert Foundation for Outstanding Community Organization, and the Alliance of Mission District Catholic Schools for Outstanding Service to the Community.
Created by Cardinal William Levada, Archbishop Emeritus of San Francisco, the Loaves & Fishes Award honors extraordinary charitable works in our communities and raises vital funds for the programs of Catholic Charities CYO. More than $5,000,000 has been raised in support of Catholic Charities CYO through the Loaves & Fishes Awards and Dinner. The Loaves & Fishes Dinner will be held on Thursday, May 11, 2006 at the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco.
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