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Health & Fitness

Believing in Zero Preventable Child Deaths

Wrap up report from UNICEF's Message of Hope Gala on Saturday, April 28, 2012 from co-chair and Evanston resident Paul Harvey.

Most kids in the United States grow up attending school, drinking clean water, and eating at least one meal a day. However, the harsh reality is that many children around the world do not have access to some of life’s basic necessities like safe drinking water and adequate nutrition.

That is why on Saturday, April 28, nearly 400 attendees joined the U.S. Fund for UNICEF at its fifth annual Message of Hope Gala in Chicago, to raise funds for UNICEF’s life-saving programs for children and to bring us closer to a day when no child dies of a cause we have the power to prevent. I have confidence that if we invest in children—and give each child a chance to survive and thrive—we can truly create hope for a better world. I am humbled to be a part of a community that shares that same passion and fights to make a difference for children around the globe.

We raised more than $670,000 at the Message of Hope Gala for UNICEF’s survival and development work in more than 150 countries. To put that number into perspective, those funds could provide 108,000 bed nets to protect children against malaria, or 24,860 first aid kits to treat injured children and prevent deadly infection, or 5,336 family water kits which could reach more than 50,000 families during an emergency.

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Guests were able to not only see the gifts they were giving, but also to experience them. From walking through a tent used to provide shelter during emergencies, to interacting with life-saving supplies, to seeing life-sized photos of the faces of children UNICEF helps—all experiences were meaningful.

Thank you to all of our friends who came out in support of UNICEF’s important mission; to reach a day when zero children die from causes we can prevent.  I am proud of our collective efforts and thank everyone for their interest and contributions to help the world’s children.

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