(FAIRFAX, VA ) - The MEDICAL CARE FOR CHILDREN PARTNERSHIP (MCCP) is pleased to announce that Grammy Award-Winner Patti LaBelle has agreed to lend her support to this renowned Fairfax County public-private partnership .
Begun in 1986, MCCP is a Community Partnership administered by the Fairfax County Office of Partnerships that is dedicated to providing medical and dental services to children of the working poor of FairfaxCounty: children ineligible to receive health care offered through Medicaid or other private and public sources. The aim of the MCCP is to meet those health care needs through the continuous development of partnerships between the government, the medical, business and foundation communities.
Every penny donated goes to providemedical and dental services at a cost of$318.50 per year per child, far below the national average of $1,356. A winner of numerous area and national awards, including the prestigious Ford Foundation/Harvard University Award for Innovations in Local Government, and recently cited by the National Association of Public Administration as one of eight high performance partnerships in the U.S, the MCCP has been replicated throughout the United States and is the model for other Office of Partnership initiatives.
Patti LaBelle has a career spanning over four decades, and her indelible talent and four-octave range have earned her a rightful place among musicroyalty. From girl-group pop to space-age funk to heavenly contemporary ballads, Patti’s artistic evolution has enabled her to be a chameleon without diminishing her edge, vocal prowess or legions of fans. “I’m always moving and trying to discover something new to entice me,”explains Patti on the title choice for her latest release, Timeless Journey. One little-known aspect of Patti’s celebrated career is her devotion to many humanitarian and philanthropic causes: she serves as a spokesperson for the National Medical Association, The National Minority AIDS Council, the American Diabetes Association— and now, The Medical Care for Children Partnership.
Sandra Stiner Lowe, Executive Director and architect of the Medical Care for Children Partnership, commented that, “Patti LaBelle’s exemplary and multifaceted career has enriched the music world and has inspired hope for those whose lives she seeks to help with her musical gift. We are so pleased that Patti LaBelle has so graciously agreed to support the Medical Care for Children Partnership.
2004 marked the 18 th Anniversary of the Medical Care for Children Partnership which held its Ninth Annual Awards Gala, “Timeless Journey”, on Saturday, October 16 th at the Sheraton Premiere Tysons Corner, Virginia. Two highly popular and very successful elements of the Gala included the MCCP TOY BOX—a silent auction with a variety of donated ‘objects of desire for children of all ages’—including a one-year lease on a MINI COOPER, courtesy of BMW of Sterling, and several one-of-a-kind items: a personally inscribed book of selected speeches given by former President William Clinton, and ”Dinner with the President”—of George Mason University, courtesy of Dr. & Mrs. Merton.
Cox Communications was the Presenting Sponsor of the MCCP Timeless Journey Gala and their corporate patronage of the event demonstrates the power of partnership between local government and the business sector that improves the quality of life for many Fairfax County residents who could not otherwise afford health care for their children.