International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Latin star Jencarlos Canela joins forces with International Rescue Committee to spotlight needs of war and disaster victims around the world

New York - 12 May 2011 -

Award-winning musician and actor Jencarlos Canela has been named an IRC Voice—joining a group of prominent young artists who will use their voices to raise awareness about the plight of refugees and others uprooted by global crises, the International Rescue Committee has announced.

Canela has been volunteering with the IRC’s refugee resettlement program in Miami for several years. His father is a refugee from Cuba who arrived in Miami in 1980 as part of the Mariel Boatlift.

“I very much identify with the IRC’s mission to help children and their families fleeing dangerous situations,” Canela says. “I can’t think of a more rewarding use of my time than to use my voice to support their life-saving work. Being able to help people in need is my dream.”

Canela has had two singles in the Latin Billboard Top 10 and won 2011 Best New Pop Artist of the Year at Premio lo Nuestro. He has been the star of Telemundo’s top-rated telenovela, “Más Sabe el Diablo” and will have the lead role in Telemundo’s new production, “Mi Corazon Insiste”. He is the first of a number of young artists to be announced this year as an IRC Voice.

“Jencarlos has been an enthusiastic supporter of our programs for newly arrived refugees in Miami for over three years and I am delighted that he is becoming an IRC Voice,” says the IRC’s president, George Rupp. “We look forward to his visiting IRC programs and working with us to raise awareness about humanitarian needs of people affected by conflict and disaster.”

The IRC was the brainchild of Albert Einstein in 1933. Since then, the organization has enjoyed the support of high profile artists including Marc Chagall, Paul Newman, Liv Ullmann, Paul McCartney and George Clooney.