‘Success Is Never Owned, It’s Always Rented!’ is the theme and message that David Davoudpour, chairman/CEO at Shoney’s, Inc. will deliver as the keynote for the Education Equal Opportunity Group (EEOG) 10th anniversary Fundraising Gala.
Corporate leaders, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and the Pilot/FLYING J Corporation are the presenting sponsors for 10th annual Gala, the must attend affair of the season at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville at 6 pm. Over the past decade, the EEOG annual Gala and other events have raised over %1.5 million to support the vision of the EEOG.
Ben Hanback, president of the Hanback Group, and Mark Blaze, managing partner of DEX Imaging in Tennessee, will co-chair and spearhead the fundraising efforts. Your personal investment in the EEOG will yield great dividends in the cultivation of principled young minds. Semi formal attire is requested and tickets can be purchased in advance at <http://www.eeog.org/>. Tickets are $200 per person or $2000 for a table of 10.
David will speak to approximately 350 prominent business leaders, elected officials and emerging student leaders. With more than 30 years of experience in food service and hospitality, David is a serial entrepreneur, restaurateur and real estate developer who has created and/or operated a number of restaurant concepts. Throughout his career, David has been awarded numerous community and national industry awards and is a strong supporter of the Metropolitan Nashville Police department and our young people. He is a proud graduate of the University of Tennessee.
Gregg F. Morton, president of AT&T Tennessee and Tom Black and author of the popular book, Boxcar Millionaire, will be honored as the 2013 Pioneer Award recipients. Both men were chosen by the EEOG board of advisors for their stalwart efforts and leadership in improving academic success for underprivileged public high school students.
This Save-A-Student affair will feature a wine tasting, silent auction, live jazz music, photos and remarks regarding Project Save-A-Student. The EEOG is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that helps public high school students’ labeled as at-risk to become first-generation college graduates.
The EEOG is fulfilling a critical community need. In Tennessee, statistically one-third of public high school students drop out of school and 50% of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans fail to graduate. Since February 2002, EEOG has provided leadership training to over 7,000 low income and underserved students in public education. The core focus and mission is to change the trajectory of students who come from low income and challenging backgrounds to create positive pathways to success and inspire underprivileged and talented students to become the future leaders of the world.
To date, 95% of the students in EEOG’s leadership programs have graduated from public high schools and 86% of those have graduated with honors. Over the past decade, the EEOG has truly established itself as a pioneer in the youth and leadership development field. The EEOG currently serves 1,000 public high school students across the state of Tennessee including but not limited to the following 14 cities: Antioch, Halls, Nashville, Memphis, Clarksville, Cookeville, Chattanooga, Lebanon, Knoxville, Kingsport, Mount Juliet, Murfreesboro, Ripley and Somerville. The EEOG Board Members include: Board Chair Sheila Gibson, MBA/PMP, assistant vice president, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Nashville, Tennessee; Carolyn A. Harris, AT&T Southeast, Brentwood, Tennessee; Hannibal Myers, Shoney’s Management Corporation, Nashville, Tennessee; Mark Blaze, DEX Imaging & Mailing, Nashville, Tennessee; Michael A. Lewis, Chief Operating Officer, Transfare LLC, Nashville, Tennessee; Armando Lopez, O’ Charley’s Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; F. Cory Mason, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Nashville, Tennessee; and Mae Perry, Tennessee Technology Center at Hartsville, Hartsville, Tennessee.
Call to become a sponsor: 615-876-0215.
