Drs. George and Rima Bitar are
Co-chairs of the CARE 2008 celebrations.
Drs. George and Rima Bitar joined the international organization CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere – www.CARE.org) this year as co-chairs of the 62nd anniversary celebrations and helped in raising over half a million dollars for one of the world’s leading international humanitarian organizations. Founded in 1945 in the aftermath of World War II, CARE is a leading international humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting poverty and global injustice. CARE especially values the role of women and girls in struggling communities because their empowerment benefits the whole community. In 2007 alone, the CARE organization supported more than 1,000 poverty-fighting projects in 71 countries, reaching more than 65 million people! George and Rima hope to introduce a younger generation to CARE’s work on such issues as maternal health, economic empowerment and education. Rima is also working with CARE on the launch of a new Young Professionals Committee for CARE supporters under 40 years of age in the Washington area. The goal is to engage young professionals around CARE’s mission to alleviate extreme poverty and make the annual event more accessible to them.
Leading up to the celebrations, the Bitars acted on this year’s celebration theme, “The Power of Partnership.” They expanded CARE’s circle of friends in the DC metropolitan region by educating them about the importance of the work that CARE does and engaging them in several events meant for entertainment, socialization, and networking. They also tapped into the internet as a way to send the message about CARE on local social websites like “Pamela’s Punch” and international websites such as “Facebook”. Rima spoke of her commitment to CARE at a recent tea hosted by Eva Hafstrom, wife of the Swedish ambassador. On hand were a number of the Bitar’s friends who have joined them in supporting CARE’s work around the world. “Our goal is to create a buzz,” Rima says, “to convince our friends that this is a cause worth their time and money. It’s also a great networking opportunity.”
| “It is our pleasure not only to give back, but to mobilize other people who can, in turn, together make a difference.” |
Anniversary Celebration activities kick off on June 17, 2008 with the Diplomatic Celebration, hosted by the International Chair, the British Ambassador to the USA and Lady Sheinwald, at their residence. The superstars of the evening were supermodel Christy Turlington-Burns, who serves as an international CARE ambassador to promote maternal health, and five time grammy winner singer John Legend, for his involvement with CARe in Tanzania to help eradicate poverty. The program featured CARE’s Humanitarian Award for Global Change presented to UPS for their wonderful work with CARE by past award-recipient Sheila C. Johnson, a wealthy philanthropist who has sponsored a book and movie to promote CARE’s message around the world. .
The chef of the British Ambassador’s residence prepared a delightful menu for the evening and the trio “Sonyx” will played lively jazz throughout the evening as the guests enjoyed themselves in the beautiful garden of the British ambassador’s residence. It was truly a beautiful, memorable event, with lots of surprises such as the $10 million donation to CARE from the international agricultural company Cargill! The CARE conference took place on June 18 and 19 with activists and concerned citizens coming from all over the USA to learn about CARE’s work and how to lobby the American congress to give more money and resources to fight global poverty and help less fortunate people in the world live a dignified life. Among the speakers were Dr. Sacks, the author of the book “The End of Poverty”, a very charismatic and influencial speaker. The Obama and McCain campaign had representatives to listen to what the audience wanted from the next president.
On the evening of Thursday, June 19, 2008, several ambassadors including Ambassadors of Afghanistan, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Monaco, Russian Federation, Singapore opened their doors to welcome CARE guests into their residences for a series of private, intimate dinners in honor of CARE’s 62 years of humanitarian work. The Bitars joined the French ambassador, Mr. Pierre Vimont for a delicious dinner preceded by champaign cocktails in the garden of the ambassador’s residence among friends- old and new.
George, who grew up in Beirut, witnessed firsthand the atrocities of war which ultimately led to his later commitment to humanitarian and emergency relief. “I sometimes accompanied my father, who was a pediatrician, to the emergency room,” recalls George. “I saw things no child should ever see.” Early on, he made a decision to become a physician. After moving to the United States at age 16 and attending medical school, he went on to train as a plastic surgeon and founded the Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute in Northern Virginia. He has participated in medical missions to India and Vietnam, where he performed reconstructive surgery on women and children. He has also been invited as a visiting professor of plastic surgery to the American University of Beirut in recent years.
George is a champion of CARE “not only because of its work helping women and children lead a better life in developing countries, but also because it reflects the kindness in troubled times shown by Americans toward people overseas.”
Rima, also a native of Lebanon, adds that the couple was “deeply moved when CARE provided much-needed emergency relief following the 2006 crisis in our home country.” Among the many charities she and her husband support, “CARE holds a special place in our hearts due to its work empowering disenfranchised women, helping needy children, building infrastructure, and carrying out emergency relief in developing countries, since we are from Lebanon.”