UNCF Atlanta
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UNCF Atlanta Recognizes Atlanta Native Jermaine Dupri at Mayor’s Annual Masked Ball
UNCF has been marking its significant 75-year milestone via a year-long celebration through its fundraising events across the country and will the festivities at the 36th annual Atlanta UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball Dec. 21 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. (The event is sold out.)
Music mogul, record producer and songwriter Jermaine Dupri will receive the UNCF Masked Award for being a beacon of hope in providing a quality education to students of color. Dupri, an Atlanta native, has written and produced songs for Mariah Carey, Monica, Da Brat, Jay-Z, Nas, Ludacris and many others. Last year, Dupri was instrumental in the gala’s record-breaking $1.3 million raised by donating $50,000 to help HBCUs and deserving area students.
Founded in 1983 by Billye Aaron and Ambassador Andrew Young, the annual event is Atlanta’s premier holiday season social soiree gathering the who’s who of the city, including host Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, city of Atlanta; Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF; event cochairs Helen Smith Price, president, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and vice president, Global Community Affairs, and Eduardo Martinez, president, The UPS Foundation, and UPS chief diversity and inclusion officer; member institution presidents representing Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Spelman College and The Interdenominational Theological Center; and a host of celebrities and UNCF friends.
“This year’s annual gala is the culminating event celebrating UNCF’s 75th anniversary. As we celebrate hosting the Mayor’s Masked Ball for 36 years in Atlanta, we know we could not make it successful without the major contributions of our diverse Atlanta community and its outstanding corporations,” said Justine Boyd, regional development director, UNCF. “With Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as host, and the commitment of corporate sponsors and volunteers, we continue to raise the bar to support deserving students and our 37 UNCF-member institutions, four of which are in Atlanta.”
Award-winning R&B recording artist Charlie Wilson, known to rock the house, will be the entertainment as luminaries look to raise more than $1 million for HBCUs and the
students they support. Additional event highlights include a VIP Masked Award reception, silent and live auctions, elegant dining, the parade of dignitaries, dancing and dinner entertainment provided by UNCF-member institution Clark Atlanta University’s jazz band.
The spectacular event is made possible by marquis sponsors Hank and Billye Aaron and presenting sponsors The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, UPS and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
UNCF Atlanta greeted visitors and celebrated the organization’s 75th anniversary, April 25.
Atlanta-Supported States’ HBCUs Punch Above their Weight
The UNCF research report HBCUs Punching Above Their Weight makes a strong case for a powerful proposition: Given their small average size and a history of being under-resourced, the enrollment, degree and economic impacts of HBCUs on African Americans in their respective states are significantly greater than one would expect. >> Read More at UNCF.org/PATW.
Scenes from the 2019 annual Columbus [GA] Masked Ball, held March 23.
Anderson, SC: ‘Black Panther’ Stuntman Urges Those at UNCF MLK Event to Pursue Their ‘Special Purpose’ (Independent Mail—1/21/19)
Some of the people closest to Cyrus Birch had misgivings when he auditioned to be a stuntman with Marvel Studios after quitting his job as a high school dropout-prevention coordinator.
“My mama told me I was crazy. My friends told me that I was crazy,” Birch said during his keynote address Monday night at the Birthday Celebration of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Civic Center of Anderson.
They changed their minds after Birch was cast in the blockbuster “Black Panther” movie starring Anderson native Chadwick Boseman. >>Read More
Call to Commitment Faith Leaders Breakfast, conducted Oct. 27, 2016, recognized Atlanta-area faith leaders in our campaign, program participants, volunteers, and the many donors who help make a difference in the lives of young people. Thank you for your continued support and for remembering…”A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.”
2015-2016 Atlanta-Area Church Donors
$10,000-$19,999
New Calvary Missionary Baptist Church
$5,000-$9,999
Ben Hill United Methodist Church
Ebenezer Baptist Church
Ray of Hope Christian Church
$1,000-$4,999
Andrews Chapel United Methodist Church
Berean Christian Church
The Cathedral of Saint Phillip
Christian Fellowship Baptist Church
Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church
$500-$999
Christians For Change Baptist Church
Community Church of God
Fountain of Faith Missionary Baptist Church
Lindsay Street Baptist Church
Did you know?
UNCF Atlanta serves 13 UNCF-member institutions in three states:
Georgia
- Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta)
- The Interdenominational Theological Center (Atlanta)
- Morehouse College (Atlanta)
- Paine College (Augusta)
- Spelman College (Atlanta)
South Carolina
- Allen University (Columbia)
- Benedict College (Columbia)
- Claflin University (Orangeburg)
- Morris College (Sumter)
- Voorhees College (Denmark)
Tennessee
- Fisk University (Nashville)
- Lane College (Jackson)
- LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis)
From annual fundraising campaigns to signature galas like the Mayor’s Masked Balls that are held in Atlanta, GA, Florence, SC, and other cities around the country, we work hard to help UNCF achieve its mission of building a nationally recognized pipeline of under-represented students who, with UNCF support, become highly qualified college graduates.
UNCF Atlanta Staff
