Libra Group Announces Partnership with President Obama's My Brother's Keeper Alliance

NEW YORK, May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Libra Group has announced that it is a founding sponsor of the My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Alliance, launched today by President Obama in the Bronx, New York. The Alliance also announced the appointment of Libra Group Chairman and CEO, George Logothetis, to the MBK Alliance Board of Directors.

The MBK Alliance is a new, independent nonprofit organization aimed at eliminating opportunity and achievement gaps for boys and young men of color. The Libra Group's founding sponsorship of the MBK Alliance builds on the company's involvement in the My Brother's Keeper Initiative, launched by President Obama in February 2014 to address the severe social and educational challenges faced by boys and young men of color in the United States. Answering the President's call, the Libra Group partnered with LEDA (Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America) to give young men of color a helping hand to break through a cycle of disadvantage by providing internship placements at Libra and across its global subsidiaries.

"We are honored to respond to President Obama's call to action to ensure that every child in the USA has the chance to reach their full potential," said George Logothetis. "In many ways, the values of My Brother's Keeper are the values of Libra: no one in our society should be denied hope and opportunity and this worthy initiative focuses on a group of young men who are particularly vulnerable and need targeted support to stay on track."  

Joe Echevarria, Chairman and CEO of the MBK Alliance, said: "My Brother's Keeper is a vision of an America that is increasingly inclusive, empowering and rich with opportunity for all. That vision has been furthered by President Obama and others, including myself and George Logothetis. I welcome George as a founding member of the MBK Alliance Board of Directors, and thank him and the Libra Group for their continued support, and for their enduring commitment to empowering youth to reach their full potential."

The Libra Group's involvement in the MBK Alliance is part of the Group's larger commitment to helping the leaders of tomorrow by supporting higher education programs including the Libra Internship Programme which provides work placements for over 100 promising young people per annum.

In conjunction with partner organizations such as LEDA, Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP), Miami Dade College, Johns Hopkins University, the McCain Institute, the American College of Greece, and the Athens University of Economics and Business, the Libra Group provides education, scholarship and internship and employment opportunities for young people from all over the world.

The group's community and philanthropic activities include a $10 million commitment to the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award which supports Greek start-up businesses; founding sponsorship of Concordia which seeks to promote public-private partnerships; support for the Seleni Institute which addresses women's reproductive and maternal mental health, and the Grace Foundation which supports charities globally through the Libra Group's hotel network.

For more information about the Libra Group's social programs, please visit: www.libra.com/en/about-us/education-programmes and www.libra.com/en/about-us/global-responsibility.

For more information on the MBK Alliance, please visit: www.mbkalliance.org and follow the Alliance on Facebook, and Twitter @MBK_Alliance.

About the Libra Group:

The Libra Group is an international business group comprising 30 subsidiaries active across six continents. The group has principal operations in shipping, aviation, real estate, hospitality and energy as well as a range of diversified investments. Owned by the Logothetis family, Libra is distinguished by a combination of traditional values, new ideas and an agile mindset that allows it to take advantage of opportunities. For more information please visit www.libra.com.

About MBK Alliance

My Brother's Keeper Alliance ("MBK Alliance") aims to eliminate the gaps in opportunity and achievement for boys and young men of color – making the American dream available to all. In early 2014, the White House launched the My Brother's Keeper Initiative to engage partners and stakeholders in that effort from both the private and public sectors. MBK Alliance is an independent, nonprofit organization created to advance progress in the private sector, and catalyze a national ecosystem of support to help boys and young men of color recognize their full potential through strategic evidence-based interventions. MBK Alliance is a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisers.

SOURCE The Libra Group

Related Links

http://www.libra.com