Bill Ayres
Bill Ayres | |
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Occupation(s) | Radio host and philanthropist |
Years active | 1973–present |
Bill Ayres is a
Biography
Ayres became a
He served for ten years at St. James Church in Seaford, New York, until 1979. He resigned from the active priesthood in the early 1980s and focused on charitable work full-time. His motivation to leave the priesthood was to be able to marry his now wife Jeannine.[2] They raised two daughters while residing in Huntington Station, New York.[2]
In 1975, Ayres and his close friend folksinger and songwriter Harry Chapin saw a pressing need to aid the impoverished with basic needs such as food. They began World Hunger Year (WHY, later known as WhyHunger), an organization with a stated mission to defeat hunger through charity, using grassroots efforts and rallying celebrities and leaders to help promote the cause.[2][5] Ayres has served as executive director since 1983. Ayres and Chapin believed that solutions to hunger and poverty are found through long-term solutions, like supporting community-based organizations that empower individuals and build self-reliance.[5]
Ayres has spun off another national hunger coalition, The Medford Group of national hunger organizations. He was a founding member of the National Jobs for All Coalition, a full-employment group, suggested their series, Uncommon Sense, and is on their advisory board. He is also a board member of Long Island Cares, Long Island's food bank. He and his wife founded the life counseling group At the Water's Edge on Long Island.[2]
He is the co-author of the book All You Need is Love: And 99 Other Life Lessons From Classic Rock Songs with radio colleague Pete Fornatale.[6]
His next book, The Journey Into the Mystery: Finding God in Your Everyday Life, was released on Amazon marketplace in 2021.[7]
On June 23, 2015, Ayres was presented with the "WhyHunger Lifetime Achievement Award" by WhyHunger.[8]
References
- ^ Clergyman Will Air Sounds Of Religion Babylon Beacon. September 19, 1968
- ^ a b c d e f g Konig, Susan. "Q&A: Bill Ayres; In Forefront of Fighting World Hunger". The New York Times. March 29, 1998
- The Record, February 28, 2000.
- ^ "WPLJ Ayres Show Page". WPLJ. Archived from the original on 2007-03-16.
- ^ a b Bux, Michael. "Fighting World Hunger From Mineola". The New York Times. May 7, 1978
- ISBN 0-684-84529-6.
- ISBN 979-8716847231.
- ^ "WhyHunger Chapin Awards Gala". WhyHunger. Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 25 June 2015.