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It's always fair weather
when you achieve

“African Children’s Choir
Beware: they will steal your heart”

If you have seen the movie Blood Diamond. You heard the heard The African Children’s Choir sing on the soundtrack. You may have seen them singing and dancing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Ellen DeGeneres Show. If you are very lucky, you have seen them singing and dancing in person at one of the thousands of concerts they have given around the world since the choir was formed in 1984.

In June 2005 I booked them for a Rotary Convention. To misquote an old saying, “They came, they sang, they danced and they stole the hearts of 1,500 people.” I keep their CD in my car and play it often.

The choir founder, Ray Barnett, an ordained Irish minister living in White Rock, B.C., heard a news report in 1984 that told of 150,000 children starving to death in northern Uganda. He boarded a plane in Vancouver to see for himself what was happening. And so began the journey that started the African Children’s Choir travelling worldwide — African orphans aged 7 to 14 singing and dancing their hearts out for their homeland.

The subject of several TV documentaries, the choir has gained international recognition.

Since its inception, the choir has helped establish numerous schools throughout Uganda and other countries in Africa, financing tuition for thousands of children who would otherwise have no access to an education.

Ray explains his reason for doing it: “We recognized early on that education is the key to long-term change and advancement in Africa. It’s the children who will become the leaders of tomorrow. By helping one child at a time we can move mountains.”

There is so much demand for the choir that Ray now has four choirs touring worldwide. They raise money to support their work in Uganda, but equally important is the fact that they are raising the standard of living and life expectancy of the young choir members, who must one day leave the choir when they become of age to make room for others.

It is not enough to say that he is a Canadian Achiever. Ray Barnett is a living, breathing, walking saint.

Learn more about Ray Barnett and the choir at www.Canadianachievers.com.

Next week, the story of a friendly media giant. He’s another Canadian Achiever.

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More information on Ray Barnett

Founder

RAY BARNETT

As Founder and Director of the African Children’s Choir, Ray Barnett serves as the visionary for the non-profit organization working to develop the Choir into an internationally acclaimed performing group while raising funds to help thousands of destitute children receive an education and hope.

Under his leadership, the Choir has gained international recognition, performing at Live8, before the British House of Commons and the Pentagon, and appearing at some of the world’s most prestigious halls, including The London Palladium, The International Club of Berlin and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.

Through his work with the Choir, Ray Barnett has been able to raise millions of dollars to establish numerous schools throughout Africa that serve children who would otherwise have no chance at an education. He has also been able to raise significant money for emergency relief and development programs in Sudan and Rwanda, and is currently working to help orphaned children in South Africa who are battling starvation and disease.

Ray Barnett, an ordained Irish minister who resides in White Rock, British Columbia, has been the subject of two television documentaries and has received numerous awards and honors for his work. These include the prestigious Cross of Nails, awarded by the Coventry Cathedral in England to recognize his widespread efforts to promote peace throughout the world, and the Heart of Gold Award bestowed by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC).

Since its inception in 1984, the African Children's Choir has helped to establish numerous schools throughout Uganda and other countries in Africa and has been instrumental in financing tuition for thousands of children who would otherwise have no access to an education. "We recognized early on that education is the key to long-term change and advancement in Africa", says Choir Founder Ray Barnett." It's the children who will become the leaders of tomorrow and can make the difference. By helping one child at a time, we can move mountains". In addition to education efforts, the Choir - through on-going support from generous Friends of the Choir donors - finances numerous relief and development projects throughout Africa, carrying out our mission to:

"Help Africa's Most Vulnerable Children Today, So They Can Help Africa Tomorrow"

dawna.hodgins@africanchildrenschoir.com

toll free 1-877-532-8651