ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½

The annual reception honoring ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½â€™s Kilimanjaro Society donors was held July 27 at the University Club of St. Paul. It was also attended by 25 young ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½n leaders in residency at the Humphrey Institute of the University of Minnesota and featured a poolside concert with local reggae band Ipso Facto! 

Twenty-five young ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½n leaders commemorated Nelson Mandela International Day on Tuesday by volunteering at the ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½ warehouse in St. Paul.  On the day, named for the late South ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½n leader and dedicated to service in his honor, they sorted and packed books for the organization and got a briefing on its mission to end the book famine in ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½. ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½ has shipped more than 38 million books to 49 countries since its founding in 1988.

25 fellows with the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which is run by the U.S. State Department, observed Mandela Day by converging at the Saint Paul warehouse of ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½ to sort and pack books that are bound for ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½. The State Department runs the fellowship through the Young ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½n Leaders Initiative (YALI) which this year has brought 1,000 promising ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½n leaders for six-week long residencies at universities across the country. This was one of former president Barack Obama’s signature initiatives targeting the ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½n continent.

ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½ is planning a trip to Cape Town in January of 2018 to celebrate 30 years of working to end the book famine in ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½.  Included will be a climb of Table Mountain, tours of Cape Town and visits to recipient BFA schools!