At the annual Equal Opportunity Day breakfast on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 a.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center, the Urban League will celebrate 32 years in the Chattanooga community and present awards to individual and corporate leaders who have championed equal opportunity, civil rights and social justice. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam will be the keynote speaker.
The theme of this year’s EOD breakfast—“Education: The Gateway to Opportunity”— recognizes the importance of education in expanding opportunities for youth, improving quality of life, and driving workforce and economic development. Last year over 13,000 men, women, and children were empowered through the Urban League’s education, workforce development and economic empowerment initiatives and health and wellness programs, said officials.
“Education is a cornerstone of the Urban League’s community vision and is one of the few tools that can empower individuals, irrespective of their backgrounds, to reach their personal and professional goals,” said Warren E. Logan, Jr., president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. “Together, as a community, we can use education to stimulate economic development and create valuable growth opportunities for our youth and adult populations.”
This year’s EOD keynote speaker, Governor Bill Haslam, has distinguished Tennessee as a national leader in education, job creation, and fiscal responsibility. His commitment to education has contributed to Tennessee becoming one of the fastest improving states in the country in the area of academic achievement. His “Tennessee Promise” legislation is the only program in the U.S. to provide graduating high school seniors with the opportunity to earn a certificate or degree beyond high school, free of charge and under the tutelage of a personal mentor. Through Governor Haslam’s efforts to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs, Tennessee was named the “State of the Year” by Business Facilities magazine, a national economic development publication. Prior to serving as governor, Governor Haslam was elected mayor of Knoxville for two terms where he aided in moving forward education initiatives, as well as recruiting and retaining thousands of jobs for the city.
The annual Equal Opportunity Day event is a community-wide celebration of inclusion. Proceeds from the EOD breakfast provide critical support for Urban League’s programs, which impacted over 13,000 people in the region during the 2014 fiscal year. As part of the organization’s commitment to academic success, the Urban League served more than 895 youth in grades K-12 through the STEM Academy, National Achievers Society, Infinite Scholars Scholarship Fair, Equity & Excellence Project, Digital Connecters Computer Literacy Program, and After School program. The Urban League’s economic empowerment programs created $6.4 million in new wages in the Chattanooga area and provided volunteer income tax assistance to more than 8,400 individuals, homeownership counseling, job training and business development training for both existing and budding entrepreneurs. Additionally, the Urban League helped over 1,525 people meet their health and wellness goals through the FIT for Life and Community Health Navigator programs.
“Equal Opportunity Day embodies the work the Urban League does on a daily basis to foster economic empowerment,” said Dana Perry, Urban League board chair and Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C. shareholder. “It is a day when we get the chance to inspire greater involvement, awareness and support from the local community for the Urban League’s continual efforts in leveling the economic playing field and enabling community members to realize their full potential.”
To recognize corporate and individual leadership in the region, the Urban League will give out three awards at the event: the Inclusion by Design Award, Community Impact Award, and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award.
Sponsors of the event include Volkswagen, SunTrust Bank, EPB, Allstate, Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C., and Waterhouse Public Relations.
The Urban League is offering several sponsorship levels for the event, with corporate tables starting at $1,000 and non-profit tables available for $800. Each sponsorship level offers additional recognition opportunities, and all proceeds from the event will support the Urban League’s empowerment programs. For more information, visit www.ulchatt.net or call Keesha Marshall at 756-1762.