Friends Forever Schedules Its 4th Annual Dinner Celebration

Portsmouth, NH, October 15, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Friends Forever, a 501(c)(3) global non-partisan advocacy and awareness organization dedicated to peace, today announced it will host its fourth annual benefit dinner to supports its peace programs for teen youth leaders around the world, on October 29, 2009 at the Galley Hatch Conference Center in Hampton, NH. This year’s benefit will highlight the teen leaders from Ireland and Israel selected to participate in the 2009 / 2010 Friends Forever Life Raft program. The teens selected to take part in this year’s program will be nearing the end of the first phase and preparing to take those skills home. This event will provide these teens with the opportunity to share their experiences and interact with members that make this program possible.

Friends Forever Life Raft program is aimed at organizing youth leaders in geographic regions prone to sectarian violence to address the challenges that threaten their communities and to work together for peace. This year, forty teens from Ireland and Israel were chosen to spend two weeks in the United States to kick off their year long program and complete rigorous leadership, conflict resolution and tolerance workshops, along with community service and interactions with local companies for insight into America’s melting pot.

The evening starts with a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by a gourmet dinner and live auction. The live auction hosted by Joe Shanley, owner of Shanley Realtors, LLC, includes items generously donated by local businesses and individuals including tickets to Boston sporting events, an Ireland vacation, and dinners at premier restaurants, to list a few of the items available. The evening ends with a short film and presentations by teens from the Ireland and Israel programs.

When: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Where: Gallery Hatch Conference Center
Time: 6:00 PM ET

Reservations are required at $100.00 per person or $1,000 per table by October 22, 2009 and $110.00 thereafter. This event has sold out for the last three years. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.friendsforeverusa.org under “Events” or by mail to Friends Forever 4th Annual Dinner, 31 Raynes Avenue #10, Portsmouth, NH 03801, or by phone at 603.433.7607. Checks are payable to: Friends Forever.

If you would like to donate to this auction, please contact:
Steve Martineau +1 603.433.7607 smartineau@friendsforeverusa.org

For sponsorship opportunities, please visit the Friends Forever website under “Corporate Sponsorships” or http://tiny.cc/ffsponsor

This year’s program is funded by the generous support of Friends Forever members and with kind contributions from local organizations including the Portsmouth, NH and Danvers, MA Rotary Clubs; domestic and international YMCA; Camp Kieve; Fields of Vision; The University of New Hampshire; Museum of Science, Boston; Gill Fishman Associates; Liberty Information Technology; SLAB Media, Hancock Associates, National Grid and ICE Worldwide.

About Friends Forever
Friends Forever is a 501(c)(3) global non-partisan advocacy and awareness organization dedicated to peace, particularly in Ireland and Israel. Friend Forever’s members work in their local communities domestically and internationally to raise awareness and help build programming that will support these young Irish and Israeli leaders as they team to address the challenges that face their communities. The organization works closely with local experts, regional leaders and educational institutions to promote healthy communication within disparate fractions and to end violence.

Since 1986, Friends Forever has built hundreds of lasting friendships across the cultural, religious, and political divides of Northern Ireland and Israel. The organization brings together multi-faith teens to live, laugh, learn, and volunteer together in host communities in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. These youth leaders, upon completing Friends Forever's unique two-week "Life Raft" experience, return home to perpetuate tolerance in their own communities. For information please visit, www.friendsforeverusa.org

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