Miami, June 16, 2005 — Responding to an invitation from Dr. Eduardo Padrón, President of Miami Dade College, Prem Rawat, known also as Maharaji, addressed a distinguished audience of faculty, guests, and students at the James L. Knight Center, Miami's largest auditorium. MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the US with 163,000 students from 170 countries. The event benefited the World Food Programme (WFP). The Foundation's contribution will provide food for 4,500 schoolchildren in Guatemala for a month. The sponsors for this event included Bell South, the Human Services Coalition, Mahoney Cohen, Grubb & Ellis, the City of Miami, the Four Seasons Hotel, and Miami resident artist Romero Britto. Prior to the June 16 event, Dr. Padrón awarded Prem Rawat a key to the City of Miami on behalf of Mayor Manny Diaz before a group of Miami government, civic, and business leaders.

Welcoming Prem Rawat, Dr. Padrón told the gathering on June 16: "His message is one of hope and peace, and he has inspired millions throughout the world. As an educator, the opportunity to learn has been central and the focus of my life. I have witnessed brilliant teachers and eager students turn classrooms into magical places. Prem Rawat reminds us that magic begins with people, and it's within each person. That the possibility of peace and the possibility of living a life to the fullest begins with recognizing the value of life itself. That is, in my opinion, the deepest learning and is certainly a curriculum for everyone."

In the world of higher education, few people command the universal respect that Dr. Padrón does. President Clinton, one of four US presidents to appoint him to national commissions, called him "one of America's great educators."

Karen Sendelback, President and CEO of Friends of WFP, said: "In February, a gift from The Prem Rawat Foundation provided critical food aid to 15,000 tsunami victims for the entire first month after the tragedy struck, literally saving these people's lives. How is hunger relief related to Prem Rawat's message of peace and dignity? In every way, for a hungry community is not at peace. Where hunger exists, there cannot be true peace. And that's what makes an evening such as tonight so important. Thank you to Prem Rawat and the Foundation for their generosity toward the World Food Programme."

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian organization, providing food to 113 million people in 80 countries. It is the only UN agency which does not receive regular allocations from the UN.
Contributions come from governments, organizations, and individuals. It has the lowest overhead of UN agencies: 93 cents of every dollar spent goes to relief services. For $100, WFP feeds three children in school for an entire year.