Ray Almeida’s obituary in the words of his friend John Monteiro:
"Mr. Raymond Almeida, 65, one of the hardest working advocates for Cape Verde in the United States, passed away today from cardiac arrest in a Boston Hospital. Ray was a very dear friend of my family.
Ray Almeida, a former Senior International Policy Analyst at Bread for the World, was honored in 2005 with the presentation of the “Ordem Amilcar Cabral” award by His Excellency Pedro Verona Pires, President and Head of State of the Republic of Cape Verde.
Rather than try to recite his contributions, I am inserting this excerpt from a press release from Bread for the World regarding the honor he received:
"Mr. Almeida is a native of New Bedford Massachusetts, the oldest community of immigrants from Cape Verde in the United States. For more than 30 years, he has been professionally engaged with U.S. African policy issues. During the 1970’s, Almeida was the founding director of Tchuba-The American Committee for Cape Verde that worked to support the newly independent Cape Verde. Almeida also served as Senior Program Advisor for “The Cape Verdean Connection,” the centerpiece of the Smithsonian Institution’s 1995 Festival of American Folklife.
Since 1996, Almeida has served as Senior International Policy Analyst at Bread for the World, a Christian citizen’s movement against hunger. Previously, he worked on the professional staff of the U.S. House of Representatives. He Holds a Masters Degree in education from Harvard University, a BA in philosophy from Stonehill College and was a Community Fellow in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."
He will be greatly missed by all.”
John R. Monteiro
Secretary & Director
C.A.B.O., Inc.
PS: Ray Almeida is believed to be one of the influential people that lobbied in favor of Cape Verde to qualify for the Millennium Challenge Account.
Wake and funeral services:
- Evening Wake: 6-8 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2010 at St James Church 233 County Street, New Bedford, MA.
- Mass services and Re-pass: 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 6, 2010 at St James Church 233 County Street, New Bedford, MA, 02740
The phone number for the church is 508.992.9408
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:
o Bread for the World Institute (Bread for the World Institute, 50 F Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001) or
o the Ernestina Commission Trust (Schooner Ernestina, New Bedford State Pier, PO Box 2010, New Bedford, MA 02741-2010).
o Please write "In Memory of Raymond Almeida" in the memo of your check or on the internet submission form.
