[Heifer International] turns to anti-poverty all-stars to show off new HQ

from pine Bluff commercial

By ANDREW DeMILLO

LITTLE ROCK - Heifer International turned to two of the world's foremost anti-poverty advocates Thursday to open its new international headquarters, a $17.5 million, environmentally friendly building that's part of a philanthropic corridor on the banks of the Arkansas River.

Bill Clinton, whose presidential library is next door, and Jeffrey Sachs, director of the United Nations Millennium Project, were to headline ceremonies that also included the Soweto Gospel Choir of South Africa.

"Their new international headquarters, located just next to my library, is not an exception to their mission, as it is one of the 'greenest' buildings to be constructed in this part of the country," Clinton said in a statement Wednesday. "I congratulate them on 60 years of great work and look forward to attending the grand opening of their headquarters."

Sachs, who toured the building Wednesday, said "It's a great day in the fight against global hunger that Heifer has this new center. They've been at the center of this struggle for decades, and we're looking to them to play a huge role in the future."

"In Africa, you turn every corner in every village and Heifer's been there. You really do feel the impact," he said.

The charity wants to use the four-story building, its recycling program and global village to educate visitors about its work. Though 61 years old, the charity is well known overseas but has only in recent years raised its profile at home.

"The building is spectacular for a spectacular organization," said Sachs, a special adviser to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Even the conference rooms at Heifer International's new headquarters in Little Rock are intended to teach people about the Little Rock charity's work overseas.

"Chao Mung" _ the Vietnamese word for 'welcome' _ stands out in bold letters in one conference room. Each conference room in the four-story center features a welcome from one of the 50 countries where Heifer operates.

"We didn't want to just say this is a conference room," Heifer President and CEO Jo Luck said on a tour of the charity's headquarters Wednesday. "We wanted to use it as a way to educate people about the places where we work."

The new facility helps Heifer by moving its employees _ who were scattered across three buildings _ into one site, but it also lets the charity teach about its values, Luck said. Heifer's 215 employees moved into the new building in January.

The charity provides animals such as water buffaloes, goats and bees to poor families around the world. Recipients are trained on how to use the animals to make money and must "pass on the gift" to others.

Gov. Mike Huckabee, at the dedication, said the charity was about much more than animals.

"It's about mothers and fathers and sons and daugthers who wake up every day without a blanket over them and not knowing if there will be a meal for them to share," Huckabee said.

And he thanked Heifer International to consolidate its operations in downtown Little Rock _ but not just for economic development reasons.

"The greatest gift that Heifer International will bring to our state is a reminder to us ... that, blessed as we are, we owe something back and we cannot simply be receivers of the great blessings. We must also be givers," Huckabee said.

Mayor Jim Dailey highlighted Heifer's role as part of a philanthropic corridor that includes Clinton's presidential foundation, Heifer International and Winrock International, which runs $50 million in programs around the world to help rural residents achieve a balance between food and income while managing natural resources.

"There's something different here than just buildings," Dailey said. "These buildings represent a sensitivity to our environment. It's the work and the mission as well as the staff in these buildings that make these buildings special."

"We are building more than bridges. We are building more global partners. We celebrate Heifer's partnership and part in giving us a significant place in the world," Dailey said.

Heifer built its new building on land that once had been part of a dilapidated warehouse district, and its construction symbolizes a rebirth of the area.

The building is intentionally curved and narrow to allow the greatest amount of sunlight inside and cut down on the amount of artificial light. Nearly of the building's structure is made of recycled steel and nearly all of the materials come from within a 500-mile radius, architect Reese Rowland said.

With a cistern that collects rainwater for toilet use and a parking lot that pools water for a wetland surrounding the building, the Heifer complex is trying to reflect the charity's values of conservation and sustainability, Luck said.

Even the circular nature of the Heifer campus _ which will eventually include an education center and a "global village" depicting life in different villages _ is modeled after Heifer's mission since its founding by Dan West, Rowland said.

"The founder of Heifer had said that anywhere you go in the world, the most important decisions were made by people sitting in a circle," Rowland said. "We felt that was a very strong statement that should shape the entire site."