Hello There,
Omotunde here & I’ve had the most exciting, entertaining & impactful 1-day at the AWCAA 20th Anniversary & Fundraiser gala which happened in Maryland, USA. At this point, it would be a sin not to give you an update if you missed out and a recap if you followed the coverage on @bellanaija.
2023
A quick recall, BellaNaija was at the Pink Brunch event of AWCAA in Maryland, USA where they specifically hosted and celebrated a few cancer survivors.It was a colorful event and also, very remarkable and enlightening.
2024
The 20th anniversary and fundraiser gala was a 1-day event that hosted friends and well-wishers from all over the USA and around the world.
At 8 pm, guests started filling the hall with their colorful outfits & so much excitement. The main theme was ‘Pink‘ as expected and this was more dominant and significant. About an hour later, the event kicked off with an introduction from the hosts for the day, Maureen Umeh & McPosh as they welcomed the guests and got all to settle for the main activity to kick off.
This was also a brief period to allow guests to mingle, visit the bar, and see the AWCAA milestones that were positioned around the ballroom. Also, this gave the DJ for the night, DJ Akuaa time to play more music.
The event kicked off officially with opening prayers from Rev. Fr Canice Enyiaka, PhD (1st) & Imam Alhaji Sulaiman Tarawallie (2nd) with Appetizers being served on the side.
Afterward, activities progress in the following order: an introductory video From Dr. Carla Williams & Howard University, the First Award of the Night: The Voice of The People Awards to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Chief of Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United States of America represented by his Chief of Staff.
Hours into the event and after some time to enjoy the appetizer as the DJ filled the room with some good music, it was time for an exclusive fireside chat – a candid conversation on the past, present, and future of AWCAA with the Executive Director and Founder, Ify Anne Nwabukwu. This was humbly moderated by Omotunde Ibironke, Head of Partnerships at BellaNaija.
Other activities were:
A special performance by a long time. supporter; the internationally acclaimed comedian and spoken word artist, AnnaMwalagho.
A special message from Her Excellency Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, CEO, Medicaid Cancer Foundation.
Citations & Award Presentations
Highlights
Major highlights of the event were a video montage with a saxophonist dedicated to fallen soldiers over the last20 years & a fashion show that had cancer survivors strut the runway gracefully.
The 4-hour event wrapped up beautifully with an appreciation note from the Founder & CEO, Ify Nwabukwu.
Catch all the excitement and highlights on @bellanaija and visit @awcaa for more information about the organization.
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