Once again the Urban League Young Professionals of Middle Tennessee (ULYPMT) led a group effort for their annual Holiday Social and Toy Drive. Joining the ULYPMT were over a hundred members of several other organizations comprised of local African American professionals, and their family, friends and other folks.
Among them, the NABJ – Nashville chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, led by President Grover Murrell; the Napier-Looby Bar Association, led by President Amy Willoughby Bryant and President-Elect Arrin Richards; the 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, led by Executive Director Lori Adukeh; and The National Society of Black Engineers, led by Reginald Archer.
The Urban League Young Professionals + Black 40 under 40 7th Annual Holiday Social & Toy Drive event was held at Nashville Urban Winery on December 1st, and admission tickets included two special signature cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, a dessert Bar, music by DJ Culture and live music performance.
Members of the participating organizations and their invited guests had holiday fun while contributing to a very worthy cause. A big hit of the evening was the game, Hip-Hop Charades. Lydia Dumas, Vice-President of ULYPMT helped organize the event.
Lydia Dumas, Vice-President of ULYPMT helped organize the event. “I’ve helped organize this event for the last three years, and it is by far one of my favorite events to plan and close out the year. Our members and partner organizations brings loads of toys and necessities each year for us to donate to The Find Design and it is amazing, as our mission is to support our community!”
“The Holiday Party has grown to be one of our signature events and one that we are proud to lead because of the immediate positive effect on middle Tennessee families,” said Shani Glapion, President of the Urban League Young Professionals of Middle Tennessee. “This is the fourth year we’ve partnered with the F.I.N.D. Design to support their program for underprivileged youth. I’ve seen the looks on parents and children’s faces when they’ve received gifts from our holiday social, and it confirms that we’re doing invaluable work. For us, every initiative is mission-focused, even the Holiday Social and Toy Drive. Ultimately, we want to improve our community and this is but one way we ensure that gets done.
Suggested (new) gift items included socks, gloves, sweatshirts, jackets, sweatpants, long-sleeved shirts, toiletries (deodorant/lotion), and gift cards of at least $15. Gifts will be distributed at the The F.I.N.D. Design Gifts of Love program on Saturday, December 16 in Antioch.
Here is more about The F.I.N.D. (Families in Need of Direction) Design program: The F.I.N.D Design, (TFD) is a 501c3 community-based organization serving the Middle Tennessee area by providing group mentoring, social emotional development and life training, community outreach and family engagement for youth ages 13-18. The goal of the program is to pinpoint young ladies and men who could potentially have, or have had, a rough transition to adulthood and offer a positive support system to avoid the pitfalls that can disrupt their lives.
