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UNCF CELEBRATES “GAME CHANGERS” IN EDUCATION
AT THE ANNUAL “A MIND IS” GALA ON MARCH 1ST IN
NEW YORK CITY
Actor and Comedian Bill Bellamy, Grammy-Nominated Recording
Artist Ledisi Join UNCF to Honor the Legacy of Shirley
Chisholm, UNCF Alumni Serving in Teach For America and
NY Giants’ Defensive End Justin Tuck
New
York, NY, –
UNCF (United Negro College Fund), the nation’s largest
minority-student-aid provider and national advocate for
education reform, will celebrate “game changers” in
education on March 1st at its annual UNCF “A
Mind Is” Gala. The annual fundraising event,
which will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel
located at 1535 Broadway in New York City, benefits
more than 60,000 students who receive UNCF scholarships and
attend more than 900 colleges and universities across the
country.
The evening of entertainment and inspiration will be emceed
by actor and comedian Bill Bellamy and will feature special
performances by
seven-time GRAMMY® nominated R&B artist
Ledisi, and the world renowned Tuskegee University Golden
Voices Choir, founded in 1884 by Booker T. Washington,
Tuskegee’s first president.
Gala attendees can expect to be inspired by a special
tribute honoring the legacy of one of America’s most
significant game changers, Shirley Chisholm. A member of
Congress from New York City, author, educator, and political
trailblazer, Chisholm wanted to be remembered as,
“a woman who lived in the twentieth century and who dared to
be a catalyst for change.” This year, UNCF will present
their inaugural Shirley Chisholm Award to alumni of UNCF
member institutions who have taught in public schools
through Teach For America. UNCF’s President’s award will be
presented to Lauran and Justin Tuck. The two-time Super
Bowl champion NY Giant and his wife started R.U.S.H. (Read,
Understand, Succeed, Hope) for Literacy in 2008 and have
raised much-needed funds to provide reading materials for
children in New York City and Central Alabama.
“The UNCF alumni we will feature at the Gala for starting
their careers as teachers have been true game-changers,”
said UNCF president and CEO, Michael L. Lomax Ph.D. “Their
work as teachers in low-income communities around the
country, and their commitment to advocate for education
reform after they complete their years with TFA, reflect
UNCF’s determination to work through our scholarship
programs and with partners like Teach For America, to help
communities take ownership of the education their children
receive, and make sure that every child gets the education
they need to prepare them for college success.”
UNCF will also announce a major contribution from a
nationally-known company to UNCF’s Campaign for Emergency
Student Aid (CESA). UNCF launched CESA in 2009 to help
students, mostly seniors, who were within sight of
graduation but whose education was threatened by family
layoffs and pay cuts and by the effect of the national
credit crunch on student loan programs. Since then, CESA
scholarships have saved the college careers of more than
8,000 students who could stay in college so they can
graduate. CESA has attracted over $14 million from more
than 6,000 donors.
Individuals, corporations and foundations can help thousands
of students finish the spring semester by contributing to
the Campaign for Emergency Student Aid.
Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than three
billion dollars and helped more than 400,000 students secure
college degrees. Each year, in addition to supporting its
member institutions and their students, UNCF awards 10,000
scholarships and advocates for the rights of low income and
minority students to receive a good education from preschool
through college graduation.
The UNCF “A Mind Is” Gala is co-chaired by UNCF board
member Tamara Harris Robinson, President of the Tamara
Harris Foundation, and attracts over 1400 donors, including
Fortune 100 corporations and executives, prominent education
advocates, athletes, entertainers and notables from the
world of finance, law and politics.
For tickets or additional information regarding UNCF's “A
Mind Is” Gala, please contact the UNCF Benefit Office at
(212) 843-1751 or e-mail
uncf@hgnyc.com. To donate to CESA and for continuous
updates and news, visit
www.UNCF.org. Also, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.
About UNCF:
UNCF—the United Negro College Fund—is the nation’s largest
and most effective minority education organization. To
serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports
students’ education and development through scholarships and
other programs, supports and strengthens its 38 member
colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance
of minority education and college readiness. UNCF
institutions and other historically black colleges and
universities are highly effective, awarding 21 percent of
African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers
more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship
and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum
and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more
than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities
across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of
leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A
mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at
www.UNCF.org.
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