Global Communities to Honor Humanitarian Leaders at 2024 Hands Across Borders Gala

SAN DIEGO – Global Communities, a leading health and humanitarian organization committed to saving lives, advancing equity, and securing strong futures worldwide, will host its annual Hands Across Borders gala on Friday, November 8, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla. This signature event celebrates efforts to empower women, children and communities in San Diego and around the world.

This year, Global Communities will honor several individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to humanity:

• K. Andrew Achterkirchen will receive the Philanthropic Leadership Award for his long-standing dedication to philanthropy and community engagement. A retired engineer, Achterkirchen devotes his time to tutoring students at the Preuss School and Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI), helping them prepare for college. Andy serves as a board member BLCI, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest and Fronteras, among others, showcasing his commitment to health, education and equity initiatives across the community.
• Maria Decker will be honored with the Community Ambassador Award in recognition of her tireless volunteer work helping Global Communities and other San Diego organizations forge vital connections with local community partners and raise mission-critical funding.
• Ileana Nataly Larios Guillen will receive the Global Hero Award for her exceptional leadership in Global Communities’ Women Empowered (WE) program in Guatemala. Over the past decade, Nataly has supported thousands of women to develop financial literacy, accumulate savings and make loans to one another, invest in income-generating activities, and become leaders in their families and communities.
• Gap Inc. will receive the Corporate Leadership Award for their outstanding commitment to bridging the equity gap by empowering women globally. Around the world, Gap Inc. has reached more than 1.4M women through their Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) program, a practical education curriculum designed to advance gender equality by providing foundational life skills for women and adolescent girls. Global Communities has partnered with Gap Inc. to strengthen its Women Empowered (WE) program by integrating the P.A.C.E. curriculum.

“Our honorees this year exemplify the spirit of compassion, leadership, and global citizenship that we strive to foster at Global Communities,” said Carrie Hessler-Radelet, President & CEO of Global Communities.” Their work has had a profound impact on the lives of countless individuals, and we are thrilled to celebrate their contributions at this year’s Hands Across Borders gala.”

A special highlight of the evening will be a performance by Voices of Our City, a San Diego-based choir that amplifies the voices of people impacted by homelessness through the power of music and the arts. Their performance will add a unique and moving element to the gala, aligning with Global Communities’ mission of empowering vulnerable populations.

In San Diego, Global Communities drives initiatives that empower young people, enhancing their resilience against human trafficking and exploitation and that support pregnant mothers to ensure they have healthy pregnancies, safe births and resources in place to ensure their newborns have a healthy start to life.

More than 350 local businesses and community leaders are expected to attend this year’s Hands Across Borders gala, chaired by San Diego philanthropists Sushma Patel and Mary Lynn Weitzen, with support from honorary chairs Haida Mojdehi, Molly Eldredge, Julie Tafel Klaus and Elizabeth Roemer Wycoff. The evening will feature a dinner, silent auction with an international marketplace, live performances, and entertainment, creating an unforgettable experience for all attendees.

More details, tickets and sponsorships are available at globalcommunities.org/handsacrossborders.

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About Global Communities
Working across the humanitarian assistance, sustainable development, and financial inclusion sectors, Global Communities brings together local ingenuity and global insights to save lives, advance equity, and secure strong futures. We support communities in more than 30 countries to advance their own development, partnering with local leaders, governments, civil society, and the private sector to achieve a shared vision of a more just, prosperous, and equitable world.