The Education Equal Opportunity Group (EEOG) will host its 13th annual Fundraising and Awards Gala on Saturday, August 27, at 6:30 pm at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. The gala will benefit the EEOG’s college bound emerging student leaders with funds going towards EEOG’s program deliverables including: the annual Project Save-A-Student Leadership and Training Conference; the Educational Speaker Series; and the EEOG’s Summer Leadership and Technology Program.
The evening will begin with an open wine reception where guests will have a chance to mingle, bid in the silent auction and enjoy live music by Luna Morena. This year’s gala is cocktail attire and promises to be the experience of the summer. Students will share their personal testimonials of the positive impact their involvement with the EEOG has had on their day-to-day academic and personal life. During the gala two extraordinary individuals Mark Blaze and Brenda Reid as well as one corporation Pinnacle Financial Partners will be honored for their unyielding support of the EEOG as the 2016 Pioneer Award Recipients.
‘In Life, As In Chess, Forethought Wins!’ is the theme and message that Gerry A. Fernandez, president/founder at Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance MFHA, will deliver as the keynote speaker. Since 1996, MFHA has been making the business case for diversity and inclusion in the foodservice & hospitality industry. Over the years, MFHA has evolved its mission from advocating for career opportunities for people of color, to building Cultural Intelligence. His most recent recognition comes from Nation Restaurant News’ ‘Power List 2014,’ featuring the 50 most powerful people leading and shaping today’s restaurant industry, cited as a top catalyst for promoting change.
The EEOG is fulfilling a critical community need. In Tennessee, statistically one-third of public high school students’ dropout of school and 50% of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans fail to graduate.
Since February 2002, EEOG has provided leadership training to over 12,000 low in-come and underserved students in public education.
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. EEOG’s mission is to develop young people to create value, become problem solvers and world leaders in today’s society.
While nurturing the student’s capacity to think, the purpose of the EEOG is to bridge the gaps in the educational and economic disparities for low-income students in public education to create more first generation college graduates.
The EEOG is a non-profit, charitable organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with a 501(c)3 status. EEOG serves approximately 2,500 ‘scholars’ across the state of Tennessee from Mountain City to Memphis.
The ticket price for the Gala is $250 or $2,500 for a table of 10. Sponsorship opportunities include a $10,000 Gold, $5,000 Silver and $2,500 Project Save-A-Student table sponsors.
Your personal investment in the EEOG will yield great dividends in the cultivation of principled young minds. For information or become a sponsor please contact Stacey at 615-876-0215 or <Stacey@EEOG.org>.
