Susan L. Taylor’s National CARES Mentoring Movement Hosts Star-Studded 2nd Annual Gala

On Monday, January 30th, 2017, at Cipriani 42nd Street, the National CARES Mentoring Movement will present its second annual For the Love of Our Children Gala. Hosts are Tamron Hall, co-host of the third hour of NBC’s “Today,” and Georgetown University Distinguished Professor and prolific best-selling author Michael Eric Dyson, whose most recent work, Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, is already widely acclaimed. The event will help to raise critical funding needed to support the organization’s training for and sequential replication of, its validated programmatic efforts that will advance, on a national scale, the nation’s most unprotected and harmed population—Black children living in poverty. Support will also facilitate the continued expansion of the organization’s University for Parents, which provides holistic life-management and work development trainings for impoverished parents. National CARES has local affiliates serving children and families in 58 U.S. cities.

At the close of an historic presidency, this year’s gala will celebrate the creativity of African-American men and the many gifts they have given to our nation. Honorees include renowned entrepreneur and hip-hop icon Russell Simmons, who has dedicated over 20 years of his life to helping dismantle punitive drug policy laws that led to the over-incarceration of young Black people; Lonnie G. Bunch III, the driving force and founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture; and Charles D. King, executive producer of the critically acclaimed film Fences, and Founder and CEO of the firm, MACRO, which is committed to creating premium film, television and cinematic digital content with universal themes that shine a light on the complexity and beauty of African-American, Latino and multicultural lives.

“Breaking the cycle of poverty, which is shredding young lives, is the big business of America,” said CARES founder and CEO, Susan L. Taylor. “Our communities, industries and government cannot thrive with so much talent struggling along the margins in extreme poverty, which the U.S. Census Bureau defines as annual household income of $12,129 for a family of four with two related children. It’s inhumane, and linking arms and aims, we can fix it! It‘s a national mandate to elevate fragile lives.” Taylor concluded.

Since 2006, National CARES has recruited, trained and connected more than 200,000 caring mentors to local youth-serving programs in 58 U.S. cities from Seattle to San Diego, Boston to Chicago and New York to Atlanta. . Funds raised at this year’s gala will directly support these efforts and other programs, including The Rising: Elevating Education, Expectations and Self-Esteem, University for Parents and HBCU Rising, a program that mentors middle-school children in STEM and literacy and prepares college students for career success.

“For over ten years, National CARES has been working to ensure the socio-emotional well-being of young people in need across the nation, and this year’s Gala serves as a great opportunity not only to celebrate all that has been accomplished, but also to recognize those who make this continued work possible,” said Chivonne J. Williams, National CARES’ Executive Director.

National CARES Mentoring Movement gratefully acknowledges the generous support of its sponsors for helping to make this year’s gala event possible. Gold Mentor level sponsors include: American Express, AARP, KeyBank and Merck. Bronze Mentor level sponsors include: AT&T, BET Networks/Viacom, BNY Mellon, Campaign For Black Male Achievement, Colgate-Palmolive, Delta Air Lines, Fannie Mae, General Mills Foundation, Nationwide, Northrop Grumman Corporation and Reggie Van Lee.

For more information about the National CARES Mentoring Movement, please visit: www.caresmentoring.org.