Honorary Co-Chairs and Leadership for the 2016 Power To Inspire Tribute Dinner
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Inc. announces its Honorary Co-Chairs and Leadership for the 2016 Power To Inspire Tribute Dinner The Center is honored by those who are providing leadership for the 2nd annual event which honors civil and human rights icons who work tirelessly for access and justice for all.
ATLANTA – Feb. 3 2016 – The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Inc. is proud to announce its leadership for the 2nd Annual Power to Inspire Tribute Dinner on May 5th in Atlanta on Pemberton Place.
Derreck Kayongo, CEO, states “The mission of the Center for Civil and Human Rights is to challenge, inspire and empower people from all walks of life to take the protection of everyone’s human rights personally. Our annual event is the opportunity to thank those whose lives are a testament to these principles, as well as to, showcase their impactful work. We thank our dinner leadership for their commitment to this mission and The Center.”
The Honorary Co-Chairs for the 2016 event are Mike Donnelly, Regional President, Atlanta Wells Fargo & Company and entrepreneurs Hank and Yvonne Thomas, Co-Owners of Victoria Hospitality, LLC.
“Wells Fargo was an early supporter of The Center with a $ 1million gift,” states Mike Donnelly, “and we continue to support the work of The Center because it is a vital part of not only our nation’s history but its future.”
Hank and Yvonne Thomas’ lives imbue the mission of The Center. Their contributions are indelibly marked on the face of history while their philanthropy is well known to historic black colleges and universities and many other charitable causes. Yvonne Thomas was the first African-American to graduate with a four year Business degree from the University of South Carolina; a campus on which she was once accosted in earlier years. Hank Thomas was one of the original Freedom Riders and is the only living survivor of the Klan’s blazing bus attack that became a media frenzy during the group’s stop in Anniston, Alabama in the segregated sixties. The two have spent the last thirty years as successful entrepreneurs who owned McDonald’s, Burger King, and Marriott franchises in the Atlanta, Macon and Jacksonville, North Carolina.
“Yvonne and I have always seen our entrepreneurship as an opportunity to be role models for young people, as well as, to have the resources to support institutions who focus on positive youth development.” “The Center is an amazing gift to our community and we are honored to do all that we can to ensure its sustainability,” affirms Yvonne Thomas.
Additional leadership for the Tribute Dinner includes: Dinner Co-Chairs–Juanita and Greg Baranco, Ingrid Saunders Jones, Bari and Russell Love, Cyril Turner and Sherrie-Ann Straughn, MD. Host Committee Co-Chairs–Amol Naik, Beth and Gregg Paradies, Sunny Park, and Jerome and Stephanie Russell.
Proceeds from the dinner will underwrite admissions for students attending Title 1 schools throughout the state. “By intervening in the lives of young people as they are developing their values, we are assured the next generations will embrace inclusion and justice,” Kayongo concludes.
Sponsorship Packages are available. Please contact Beth Haynes, [email protected]
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About the Center for Civil and Human Rights
The Center for Civil and Human Rights in Downtown Atlanta is an engaging cultural attraction that connects The American Civil Rights Movement to today’s Global Human Rights Movements. The Center features a continuously rotating exhibit from The Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection, which includes many of Dr. King’s documents and personal items. Visitors will be immersed in experiential exhibits through powerful and authentic stories, historic documents, compelling artifacts, and interactive activities. The Center is a source for ongoing dialogue — hosting educational forums and attracting world-renowned speakers and artists who work on a variety of human rights topics. Join the conversation on civil and human rights on Twitter @Ctr4CHR and Facebook.
About Wells-Fargo
Headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo & Company provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,700 locations, approximately 13,000 ATMs, the internet and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.
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