World of Children Rings the NASDAQ Opening Bell [VIDEO]
World of Children was honored to receive an invitation from NASDAQ to ring the opening bell on Friday, November 6. Celebrity Ambassador Stephanie March and Advisory Committee Member Alina Cho joined Co-Founder Harry Leibowitz and five of our 2015 Honorees for the occasion.
After an introduction by NASDAQ VP David Wicks, Harry delivered a few remarks before ringing the bell to open the market.
“Thank you all. It’s really an honor to be here with our two wonderful advocates, Alina Cho and Stephanie March.
“We stand here in this house of opportunity and in this city of opportunity and we represent children who everyday look up to the heavens and just hope and pray that they can have an opportunity. Not an opportunity to get rich. Not an opportunity even to stand here. Just an opportunity to make it to tomorrow. An opportunity maybe to have a good meal or maybe go to school.
“Our job at the World of Children, through these amazing honorees from all over the world, is to facilitate those opportunities. Just as you facilitate opportunities for people to invest to grow and build their businesses, we invest to grow and build children.
“All of our honorees here have had to submit to an incredibly intensive investigation conducted by an independent agency, Andrews International. We are the only philanthropy in the world that requires that. This assures that they are who they say they are, they’re doing the work presented and they’re above reproach. In 18 years we have received over 20,000 nominations and only 110 people have been selected. It’s a very unique club. The best of the best.
“The press compares us to the Nobel Prize. We do not take that lightly. We ask you all to join us to make tomorrow a little better than yesterday for the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, one little hand by one little hand and one little heart by one little heart, we can make a difference. And we ask you to join us.”
Our heartfelt thanks to NASDAQ for including World of Children and our Honorees in this special ceremony and for bringing light to the issues facing so many children around the world.