This week, Former President Nelson Mandela is celebrating his 93rd birthday! Every year on his birthday, people globally dedicate their time towards serving others to honor the sacrifices he made. Nelson Mandela gave 67 years of his life in the struggle for justice. We invite you to share 67 minutes of your time in helping others to mark Mandela Day 2011.

As many of you probably know our 4^th Annual Auction, Bids Build Hope, is scheduled for August 2011 around International Youth Day to raise funds for NextAid’s programs, including the Kawangware Vision Centre (KVC). KVC is a project based in the Kawangware slum of Nairobi, Kenya, run by a community-based youth group which makes silk-screened gift bags out of recycled paper to sell to local businesses. For more information visit http://nextaid.org/kawangware.htm.

We are at a critical juncture in enabling the project to move forward and be completed on schedule, so we are reaching out to seek your support. We need to raise another $20,000 to complete the KVC project and are looking to partner with individuals or businesses who share our passion in the music, arts, entertainment, and social and environmental sustainability to help with our auction. We are inviting you to spend 67 minutes of your time today to help us, help the people who need it most in Africa by reaching out to your friends and contacts to collect items for our online auction.

To read more about Mandela Day visit http://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay.