Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Spring 2006 : Annual Fund Named
Annual Fund Named in Honor of James and Betty Sams
GFUSA lost one of its most devoted friends in the fight against global poverty when Jim Sams passed away in December 2005 from lymphoma. An international lawyer, businessman, GFUSA board member and past chair, he was recognized worldwide for his activism for peace and social justice.
During Jim's tenure as board chair from 1998-2000, GFUSA's annual fund was his highest priority, as he and his wife Betty understood how it would enable funds to be directed wherever they were most critically needed. Jim was also instrumental in GFUSA’s expansion into the Arab world.
Jim's concern for social justice and international dialogue led him to work for the World Peace through Law committee of the American Bar Association, for whom he organized the World Conference on World Peace through Law in 1963. From 1964-1967, he served as pro-bono counsel to the Poor People’s Corporation, a cooperative of African-American women who sought to market their handicrafts, which was incorporated as Liberty House by former members of the Student Non-Violence Committee (SNCC) in Jackson, Mississippi. After the Israeli-Arab War in 1967, he co-founded the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) organization, which has become one of the major NGOs providing aid to refugees throughout the Arab world. He went on to work with many other non-profit organizations throughout his lifetime, serving as president of the National Association of Arab Americans and on the board of the American Task Force for Lebanon, and organized the international post-war "Conference on Lebanon: National Reconciliation and Reconstruction" in 1991.
He was honored with Lebanon's Order of the Cedar, and he and Betty were jointly given the Distinguished Service and the Arab-American of the Year awards by the Moawad Foundation (Lebanon) and the ACCESS social service agency (Dearborn, Michigan), respectively. Betty Sams carries on the humanitarian and advocacy work that they began together.
As a tribute to their ideals and commitment to GFUSA, the organization named its annual fund the James and Betty Sams Fund in 2005. To join the Sams and others in our community of donors to alleviate poverty, visit www.gfusa.org/give
"The valuable work of Grameen Foundation USA and the vision it manifests for an equitable world through the provision of fair access to credit for the very poor would be greatly diminished without the support of thousands of dedicated individuals… The selfless contributions of Jim and Betty Sams in time, thought, and resources, through the formative years of Grameen Foundation USA, reflect the highest standards of this tradition. [The Sams Fund] will help our organization best employ the talents and knowledge of its skilled staff, while more effectively leveraging the many resources that are now coming to us from a truly global base of support."
-Reed Oppenheimer, Founder and Former Chairman, GFUSA
Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Spring 2006 : Annual Fund Named
Grameen Foundation uses microfinance and innovative technology to fight global poverty and bring opportunities to the world's poorest people. With tiny loans and financial services, we help the poor, mostly women, start businesses and escape poverty. Our global network of 55 microfinance institution (MFI) partners including our Growth Guarantee partners has touched more than 34 million people in 24 countries. In addition, we introduced and now sustain technology initiatives (Mifos and Village Phone) in Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, bringing our total country outreach to 28.
+1-202-628-3560 www.grameenfoundation.org
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