MC DONALDS HONORED GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN T.D. JAKES
AT 9TH ANNUAL 365BLACK AWARD CEREMONY
Festivities were prelude to 2012 ESSENCE Music© Festival in New Orleans
DALLAS – JULY 9, 2012 – On Friday, July 6, T.D. Jakes was honored for his humanitarian efforts at the 2012 McDonald’s 365Black®Awards given annually to “outstanding individuals making positive contributions to strengthen the African American Community.”
A lifelong humanitarian, T.D. Jakes serves as pastor of the 30,000 member church, The Potter’s House of Dallas, whose history of service is evidenced in its distribution of food, water, medical care and other types of aid to war-torn and impoverished nations, those geographies overwhelmed by violence, health epidemics or human rights exploits or devastated by natural disasters such as the drought in Somalia, the Haiti Earthquake, Texas Tornadoes, or following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Closer to home, T.D. Jakes serves the local communities through nearly 160 auxiliaries and departments that reach a broad spectrum of the southwest Dallas population. From seniors to children, the homeless to victims of domestic violence; vital services such as food and clothing distribution, access to healthcare, counseling, disaster recovery, education and other community services are offered. Bishop Jakes also advocates on behalf of the environment through sustainable “green” programs.
The ninth annual McDonald’s 365Black®Awards was a prelude to this year’s ESSENCE Music® Festival on Friday, July 6 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans. Other honorees included: Chaka Khan; R&B singer/songwriter Tamia and husband, Grant Hill; teenage inventor Tony Hansberry II; youth activist Mary-Pat Hector; and McDonald’s Owner/Operators, Tina and Harold Lewis.
“I am deeply honored to be acknowledged in such distinguished company for my contributions to the African American community,” said T.D. Jakes, senior pastor of The Potter’s House of Dallas, Inc. “To be singled out on such a prestigious platform as the Ninth Annual McDonald’s 365Black®Award for the very humanitarian efforts that are integral to my life and ministry is the ultimate compliment.”
Bishop Jakes is also well known for dramatically reducing the rates of recidivism among the formerly incarcerated through his pioneering work with the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative (T.O.R.I.). Since its founding, more than 7,000 graduates have been given second chances thanks to his visionary leadership and innovative solutions approach to systemic issues.
A heart of compassion inspires Bishop T.D. Jakes to extend a hand of help to hurting people locally and around the globe through his charitable outreach arm called MegaCARE. A non-profit services organization, MegaCARE supplements the work of the local auxiliaries through a network of global partnerships that enable Bishop Jakes to undertake both small and large-scale care-giving initiatives and to put ‘boots on the ground’ in some of the world’s most dire “hotspots.”
“In founding MegaCARE, it was my intention to address the practical inequities that we often see in the world. By first meeting the most pressing physical needs, we can then address the spiritual condition,” continued Bishop Jakes. “I believe the old adage that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Through MegaCARE, we demonstrate our concern for the world’s wellbeing.”
About The Potter’s House
Located in Dallas, The Potter’s House is a 30,000-member nondenominational, multicultural church and humanitarian organization led by Bishop T. D. Jakes, twice featured on the cover of Time magazine as “America’s Best Preacher” and as one of the nation’s “25 Most Influential Evangelicals.” The Potter’s House has five locations, The Potter’s House of Dallas, The Potter’s House of Fort Worth, The Potter’s House of North Dallas, and The Potter’s House of Denver and a Spanish language church, Casa de Fe. 54.201.250.106.
For more information or to donate to MegaCARE visit: www.megacaremissions.org
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