Over $2million Raised for Turkana Basin

A dinner and fundraising for the Turkana Basin Institute was held over the weekend in New York City, USA, bringing together about 200 weathly American business men and celebrities to raise funds for Dr. Richard Leakey’s research institution.

The Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) supports scientific projects in the Turkana basin area of Northern Kenya in what is deemed to be the cradle of mankind. The dinner, held on Saturday 5th May 2012, managed to raise a whooping Kshs. 83 million, thanks in part to a star-studded attendance that included the IMAX C.E.O Richard Gelfond adn philanthropist David Rockerfeller Jr.

This total collection was matched with another Kshs. 83 million donation by Euclidean President James H. Simmons and his wife Marilyn, at the event where renowned American musician Paul Simon also performed.

Kshs. 166 million was collected even before the auction began, which saw Kenyan painter Wangeci Mutu’s piece being sold for Kshs. 3,500,000 and a 9-day Kenyan safari toppling the Kshs. 3,800,000 mark.

Their generosity was spurred by the antics of the auctioneer who told the crowd, “You’ll never have an opportunity to advance scientific progress and drink so much at the same time.”

In his speech, Dr. Leakey said that TBI was founded  in conjucnction with New York State’s Stony Brook Institute and that they were working towards finding the exact moment at which human evolution took place.