This month the Nashville OIC will hold its annual banquet fundraiser, “Night in Detroit, A Motown Review” on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 from 5:30 -10:00 pm at The Millennium Maxwell House, 2025 Rosa Parks Blvd. Nashville, TN 37228.

The late Reverend Leon Sullivan founded Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) in 1964 in Philadelphia. Nashville OIC was founded in February 1968 to meet an urgent need in the African-American community for adult education, training and job placement. Since that time, Nashville OIC has helped thousands, giving them the skills necessary to become productive and self-sufficient. In the year ending June 30, 2002, government funding accounted for 78% of OIC’s revenue. In 2012-13, OIC received no government funding. Thus the urgent need for the annual fundraiser.

Since May, 2008, Helena Farrow, following four years’ experience with OIC, has served as Executive Director. In 2010, Nashville OIC received a grant of $47,155 from the Cal Turner Family Foundation to upgrade its technology. In 2003, Nashville OIC launched Hand Up, a name taken from one of Reverend Sullivan’s sayings, “A hand up, not a handout.” Before, for a number of years, OIC had been limited by its contract with the Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) to serving only persons referred by DHS, almost entirely women with dependent children.

OIC provides GED preparation, computer training and job placement services to those who are ready and willing to build better lives for themselves and their families and for the community. The three programs of OIC, GED Preparation, Computer Training and Job Placement have a common goal of helping the client get a job and achieve financial independence. OIC’s results can be measured objectively and the value readily translated into dollars.

Tickets for “Night in Detroit, A Motown Review” Nashville OIC’s Annual Banquet with Reception, Dinner, and Dancing are $175.00 per person or $1750.00 per table. Contact Helena Farrow at (615) 248-2906 or hfarrow@oicnashville.org. To learn more about Nashville OIC of America, visit the web site http://www.oicnashville.org/

Follow the dollar and see how valuable the work is that Nashville OIC does:

The Tennessee Department of Education Report Card shows that it cost Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) $11,453 last year per student.

At $11,453 per grade level advance (GLA), 82.0 GLA’s were worth $939,146 OIC also uses an alternate valuation of GED Preparation, The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce in “A Community Needs Assessment for Adult Literacy” showed that persons with a high school diploma or GED earn $10,587 more per year than persons without. Taking the number of years between the person’s age and age 65, the present value of expected increased earnings of the 12 students at OIC who gained a GED in 2014-15 at present value is $2,096,242. And that does not take into account the gains from less incarceration, from avoiding other costs to society, and from enriched family lives.

In 2014-15, the fully allocated cost of a GLA was $1104 compared with a cost of $11,453 for MNPS. In 2014-15, 52 obtained employment with the average wage being $9.12/hour. If the person works a full year, a job is worth $18,970 and the total value to the clients and to the community is $987,542.

Taking the value of GLA’s and jobs obtained, the total value for 2014-15 was $1,926,688 at a cost not including the value of volunteers of $307,338, a return of $6.27 for every dollar invested.

Using the value of GED’s instead of GLA’s, the value was $3,083,783, $10.03 per dollar invested.