Mrs. Laura Bush and Queen Rania Join Mosaic Foundation
to Benefit Sesame Workshop

Elmo and Khokha to Launch Sesame Mosaic at May 9 Gala

(Washington D.C.) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan will be the Guest of Honor at the Mosaic Foundation Benefit Gala on Tuesday, May 9 where Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, will receive a major grant from the Mosaic Foundation. Mosaic is proud to have Mrs. Laura Bush serve as the Honorary Chair of its Ninth Annual Benefit Gala.

The 2006 Major Beneficiary Grant from the Mosaic Foundation will fund Sesame Mosaic, a project designed to educate pre-school children in the Arab world about mutual respect and basic literacy/math. The Sesame Mosaic project will also produce two hours of programming on Arab culture and children for distribution to preschoolers in the United States to promote cross-cultural understanding.

To launch Sesame Mosaic, Sesame Street’s Elmo will make a special appearance with his Muppet friend, Khokha, who is coming all the way from Cairo. She appears in the Egyptian co-production of Sesame Street, Alam Simsim. Mrs. Bush made a guest appearance on Alam Simsim in Cairo, Egypt in May, 2005 and also taped the first episode of Galli Galli Simsim in New Delhi, India in February, 2006. Acclaimed Jordanian composer and pianist Zade Dirani will also lead the International Musicians Assembly, an orchestra of young musicians aged 18-25, in their world debut performance illuminating the rich heritage of the Arab world.

Established in 1998, the Mosaic Foundation is an American charitable and educational organization founded and run by the spouses of Arab Ambassadors to the United States. Through its projects, Mosaic seeks to improve the lives of women and children globally and increase understanding and appreciation of Arab culture in the United States. To date, Mosaic Foundation has awarded more than $8 million to worthy organizations like Save the Children, UNICEF, the National Race for the Cure, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Washington Family Relief Fund, Africare and American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA)
among many others. For giving history, please visit www.mosaicfound.org/grants/grants_history.htm

To cover this event or to arrange interviews, contact Nancy Yacoub, Executive Director, Mosaic Foundation, 703-288-4500, (fax) 703-288-4501, nyacoub@mosaicfound.org.