'STRAIGHT UP! FOR AFRICA' LAUNCHED BY ACCF AND PAULA ABDUL ON INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY, APRIL 29
Abdul, Named Ambassador for African Community & Conservation Foundation, Actively Supports Efforts for Wildlife Conservation and Women and Girls Empowerment.
LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- African Community & Conservation Foundation, a philanthropic group founded in 2018 to support wildlife conservation and uplifting community-based economic and educational programs in Eastern and Southern Africa, has just designated Paula Abdul as Ambassador for the non-profit. For her powerful advocacy and engagement to support ACCF's philanthropic efforts, she will serve as Ambassador for community outreach, with a particular focus on empowering women and girls, as well as conservation and anti-poaching work in rural Africa. Paula has been supporting ACCF's mission to improve livelihoods and combat food poverty in Eastern and Southern Africa, particularly in Tanzania, Rwanda, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
Global icon Paula Abdul said, "It is an honor to expand my role supporting ACCF's mission and work as their Goodwill Ambassador to Africa. I love the organization's holistic approach to protecting human life, wildlife, and the environment. I'm especially excited to be a voice for women and girls empowerment in Africa as it can be a difficult place for girls to grow up and thrive. ACCF supports programs that provide access to scholarships, menstrual hygiene products and mentoring for girls, and carries on the fight to ban female mutilation."
Paula does not take her philanthropic responsibilities lightly and is launching a program with ACCF appropriately called 'Straight Up! for Africa' using her extraordinary and iconic skill as a dancer and choreographer to unite and showcase cultures. This campaign seeks to empower the women and girls who will participate and to create greater awareness and possibilities for them and for wildlife and natural sustainability throughout the continent.
The 'Straight Up! For Africa' awareness and funding effort to raise $1 million, will launch in May, in advance of Paula's Fall visit to Tanzania and Rwanda to witness the work of ACCF first-hand. Beginning in May as well will be the contributions of local women and young people demonstrating their native dances. Paula will then choreograph an original dance that will encompass many of the unique and extraordinary steps and movements of those dances. While there, Paula will meet schoolgirls and women and invite them to learn the new dance, which will all be filmed by ACCF. The videos will be presented online along with celebrities and sports figures joining the interactive "flash mob" effort that is sure to go viral. All will be on the ACCF (africanccf.org ) and Paula's (paulaabdul.com) websites, Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media outlets, allowing the world to see the unique and special forms of expression from countries and villages across Africa.
Paula says, "Dance is visual medicine that goes into the fibers of people's beings with no language barriers. Dance allows people universally to express themselves through music and movement."
Brady Forseth, CEO of ACCF said, "We are proud and grateful to partner with Paula Abdul. Her generous support will help us continue making a significant long-term impact in the communities we serve, especially for women and girls through health, career development, self-confidence, education, and culture outreach. Starting by working with women and girls for the local areas that ACCF serves, Paula will be incredibly important to spreading the ACCF message of animal conservation as well as empowerment and education across Eastern and Southern Africa."
The African Community & Conservation Foundation (ACCF) identified the need for a gateway platform to connect people all over the world with the strategic and sustainable community and conservation programs underway in Africa. ACCF was founded in 2018 and is a United States public charity exempt from Federal Income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Our founding project with the Grumeti Fund, located in the western corridor of the Serengeti, has paved the way to expand and grow our impact across Africa. The latest ACCF expansion projects include Karingani in Mozambique, the Rwanda Project – Volcanoes National Park, and The Malilangwe Trust in Zimbabwe. Instagram: @africanccf Facebook: @africanccf
Paula Abdul began her laudable career beginning as a Laker girl, which led to her becoming their choreographer. She drew the attention of Janet Jackson, then Michael, both of whom and many more had her choreograph their legendary dance moves. From there, her voice took center stage with a Virgin Records recording contract that led to four #1 hit songs, multiple awards, including 17 MTV Video Music Awards nominations with five wins, two GRAMMY Awards, three American Music Awards, two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography, two People's Choice Awards as Favorite Female Music Performer, and five Juno Awards. She has sold over 60 million records. She was the first entertainer to receive the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Hall of Fame Award and was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Her stint on American Idol made her an even bigger star with immediate recognition worldwide. Her classic hit "Straight Up!" is not only the name of the ACCF campaign, the song title was also used by Richard Branson as the name of his first rocket to space. That makes Paula not just a global icon, but an interstellar one!
SOURCE African Community & Conservation Foundation (ACCF)
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