Washington Informer

More than 10,000 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority - America's first Greek-letter organization founded in 1908 by, and for, African-American college women and one of the nation's leading service organizations - will converge upon San Francisco from July 21-27 for its biennial conference. The event will beheld at the Moscone Center, and among those in attendance will be sorors from as far as Germany, Japan, South Korea and Nassau.

International President Carolyn House Stewart will preside over the weeklong gathering, which will boast the theme: "65th Boule: Gateway to Global Leadership Through Timeless Service."

This marks the second time in the sorority's 104-year history that the convention is being held in San Francisco. The first conference was held in 1955 at the Fairmont Hotel. San Francisco is home to former international president Dr. Ida Jackson and more 1,000 members who serve the surrounding communities.

Paralleling their program theme, the sorority will host a town hall, youth summit, economic summit and a panel on volunteering. Alpha Kappa Alpha will also open the "Unsung AKA Members of the Civil Rights Movement Museum" which will chronicle and graphically dramatize members' contributions to the Movement.

Another feature of the weeklong event will be a public meeting on Sunday, July 22. Its purpose is to acquaint the area with AKA's mission and impressive record of service on a local, regional, national and global arena. Awards will be presented to international leaders during this event, which is free and open to the public.

As an extension of AKA's mission "to serve all mankind," members will donate school supplies to Bay Area social service agencies. The collection drive is expected to yield hundreds of thousands of dollars in school supplies, which will assist families weighed down by the fragile economy and with limited funds.

About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Alpha Kappa Alpha boasts more than 250,000 women in 965 chapters in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, Germany, Bermuda, South Korea, the Bahamas, Japan and on the continent of Africa who are dedicated to service.

Since its founding, members have donated more than 3.5 million hours to programs that have benefited over 16 million people worldwide. Its membership includes a wide array of outstanding luminaries who cross several disciplines and industries.

Among its high-profile members are Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia; poets Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, Dr. Mae Jemison, first woman of color to travel into space, actresses Phylicia Rashad and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Grammy Award winner, Alicia Keys and Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee, Eddie Bernice Johnson and newly-elected lawmakers Terri Sewell and Frederica Wilson. The late civil rights champions Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks and Septima Poinsette Clark were also members. Attorney Carolyn House Stewart is the 27th international president. For more information, log on to www.aka1908.com.

First Lady Michelle Obama will lead the Presidential delegation for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic games in London. Mrs. Obama made the announcement at an event with Samantha Cameron celebrating the Olympic games and Mrs. Obama's "Let's Move!" initiative.

During the event, Olympians and Paralympians -- including Kortney Clemons, Dominique Dawes, Tom Dolan, April Holmes, Lisa Leslie, Lori Ann Lindsey, Dan O'Brien, Becky Sauerbrunn, David Wagner and Mal Washington -- led D.C.-area school children in activities inspired by the Olympic games.

Mrs. Obama emphasized her hope that the Olympic games will inspire more young people to get active and healthy, the goal of her Let's Move! initiative.

"In the months ahead, I'll be talking to Americans all across the country to encourage even more young people to tap into that Olympic spirit and turn their inspiration into action," said Mrs. Obama. "As the Olympic creed states, 'the most important thing ... is not to win, but to take part.' And that doesn't just mean sitting and watching, it means getting up and getting active as well. I hope we use the upcoming games as motivation for all of us to get up and get moving."

"Mrs. Obama's support will only further invigorate the athletes' desire to bring home the gold and motivate all Americans to be active," said Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympic gymnast and co-chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. "My work on behalf of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition is a way for me to give back to the country that supported me during my Olympic journey."

For one night only, fans and film supporters alike will be given the chance to see "The Bodyguard" live in theaters again, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., March 28, some 400 theaters across the nation will screen the film in honor of its 20th anniversary.

When it was released in 1992, The Bodyguard became the second highest-grossing film in the world. The soundtrack, which featured several Whitney Houston songs, became the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time — selling more than 42 million copies. Popular songs "I Will Always Love You" and "Run to You" earned Oscar nominations as well.

At Houston's funeral, her Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner said, "A lot of leading men could've played my part. But you, Whitney, I truly believe you were the only one who could've played Rachel Marron at that time. You weren't just pretty, you were as beautiful as a woman could be. And people didn't just like you, Whitney, they loved you."

Houston's final movie, Sparkle, co-starring Jordin Sparks, Tika Sumpter and Mike Epps, will hit theaters nationwide on Aug. 17.

In the event Mayor Vincent Gray and the D.C. City Council fail to come to an agreement over a spending bill for the May 15 Ward 5 special election, there's a chance the election won't happen.

The Ward 5 election is one of two that the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics is charged with conducting this spring and while the April 3 primary is fully funded, $318,000 is needed to proceed with the election that seeks to fill the seat vacated in January by former Councilman Harry Thomas Jr.

According to a published report, the three-member election board warned Gray and Councilmember Muriel Bowser in a letter this week that if it didn't receive the funds needed to conduct the election in the next week, it risked not being able to meet deadlines for getting ballots and voter notification cards printed in time.

Elections Board chair Deborah Nichols reportedly wrote in the letter that, "If funds are not made available immediately, the Board will be in the untenable position of violating either laws relating to timely public notice and distribution of ballots or the provision of the Anti-Deficiency Act."

The report further stated that Gray spokesman Pedro Ribeiro indicated that the money was included in a $42 million supplemental budget submitted in January by the mayor to cover shortfalls in certain agencies -- and that the City Council just needs to vote on it.

The ROCKS Inc. bi-annual National Leadership and Training Conference will be held from March 29-31 at the Fort Belvoir's Officers Club.

With the theme "Mentoring Military Professionals for Global Leadership Challenges" the conference includes presentations by senior military and Department of Defense leaders, leadership panels, and small group discussions.

Speakers include Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the Chief of Staff of the Army. The ROCKS' Spring Gala will be held in the same location the evening of March 31, where several scholarships will be awarded to cadets and high school students.

Founded in 1974, The Rocks, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides scholarships, mentorship and professional development to ROTC and Military Academy Cadets, active duty and reserve component officers. The organization also assists retired and former active or reserve component officers. Registration information is available at the website: www.therocksdc.org or by calling 301-856-9319.

D.C.'s First and Only All-Girls' Public Charter School Raises More than $75,000 for Its Music, Arts Programs

Excel Academy Public Charter School recently celebrated its first four years of growth and accomplishment with an evening of music and arts at its inaugural gala.

The event titled, "Dream a Little Dream," was held March 3 at the Organization of American States in downtown Washington, D.C., and brought together more than 230 Friends of Excel for a silent auction and dinner.

The gala raised funds for the Excel's music and arts programs, and both were prominently featured during the evening's festivities. Guests excitedly bid on scholar artwork during the silent auction, which brought in more than $10,500.

During the dinner, guests were treated to a special performance by the Excel Academy Third Grade Scholar Chorus. Joined by their sister-scholars from the Holton-Arms School, they performed with wide eyes and full hearts for the packed room. The students were joined for their finale by professional opera singer, Karin Paludan, who led the girls in a rousing chorus of O Sole Mio. As the guests came to their feet, both they and the girls knew it was a night they would not soon forget. This gala raised over $75,000 for the music and arts programs at Excel.

About Excel Academy Public Charter School

Four years ago, Excel Academy opened its door in the heart of Anacostia to 134 little girls with big dreams. Today, the school serves 401 girls in preschool through third grade, and is moving ahead confidently with plans to grow each year until the school has an eighth grade in 2016. The school's board, management, and faculty are dedicated to ensuring that Excel Academy scholars continue to dream big and believe in a bright future for themselves and their community. The school is located at 2501 Martin Luther King Avenue, S.E. For additional information regarding the public charter school, please visit www.excelpubliccharterschool.org.