Diwali at the United Nations in New York
29th November 2007
The Loomba Foundation, a sister charity of the Loomba Trust, founded to benefit widows and children around the world hosted a Diwali dinner at the United Nations, honouring First Lady Laura Bush, and Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation, for their leadership in education on Thursday, November 29, 2007.
Mrs. Laura Bush, who is actively involved in issues of national and global concern with a particular emphasis on education, healthcare and human rights, was honoured with the 2007 Humanitarian Award for Education. In her video message, she said “Thank you to Cherie Blair and to everyone at the Loomba Foundation for honouring me with this year Humanitarian Award for Education. Most of all, thank you for the outstanding work you do every day to help widows and children. The award was presented to Mrs. Bush at the White House in Washington DC by Cherie Blair and Raj Loomba on 30th November, 2007.
Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation, was presented with a 2007 Humanitarian Award for his leadership and commitment to global education of disadvantaged children. “We are big believers at Intel that all poor children, everywhere, deserve the chance to change the world, and that possibility begins with a strong education”, said Mr. Barrett. “We are proud to receive this honour from the Loomba Foundation, an organization that supports the potential of education for children in need”.
The Diwali dinner was attended by Cherie Blair and Lord Navnit Dholakia from London and Vijay Amritraj, renowned Tennis World Champion, Mrs Veronica Hearst, Meera Gandhi and many other prominent dignitaries from the US. The Foundation raised US$ 100,000 at the event, which will be used to educate children of poor widows in India.
