Dallas Rocks Fundraiser to Benefit Education in Africa

The Diamond Empowerment Fund's (DEF) first major fundraiser, Dallas Rocks 2008, will take place November 7. Celebrity dresses, summer concert tickets and a Safari trip to South Africa and Botswana will be donated to raise money for CIDA City Campus.

Hosted by Russell Simmons and football great Emmitt Smith and his wife Pat, Dallas Rocks 2008 will honor basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson and actress Eva Longoria Parker for their philanthropic works.

Sponsors for Dallas Rocks 2008 include Zale Corporation, NI7, Simmons Jewelry Co., Grey Goose Vodka, Rose's Mojito Cocktail Mix, Terlato Wines International, Blake Distributing Company, Lush & Luxe PR and The Fashionistas.

DEF announced the launch of an online auction, Diamonds Give 2008, to benefit DEF's mission of providing funds for education programs in diamond producing nations in Africa.

The online auction will commence on Thursday October 30 and will run though December 2. Bidders are invited to go to www.charitybuzz.com/area.do?id=828 for a chance to win diamond jewelry or other luxury items, some of which will be available at the Dallas Rocks 2008 fundraiser.

The auction includes garments and jewelry donated by Kim Kardashian, Erykah Badu and Eva Longoria Parker; a Safari trip to Southern Africa; a Hamptons A-List summer weekend; a special 90-minute yoga class with Russell Simmons; and Good Charlotte concert tickets.

The Diamond Empowerment Fund is a non-profit international organization with the mission to raise money to support education initiatives that develop and empower economically disadvantaged people in African nations where diamonds are a natural resource.

Its first beneficiary is CIDA City Campus, a model for higher education in Johannesburg, South Africa. Every student at this higher education institution is on scholarship and comes from a background of economic disadvantage. The deeply felt mission behind its founding organization, Community and Individual Development Association (C.I.D.A.) is to provide mass-scale, quality higher education and to provide an effective human development strategy for South Africa.

C.I.D.A. is expanding with two new educational institutions: the Maharishi Institute and the Eco-Campus for Africa, to help more students gain educational opportunities for themselves and their communities.