Capital Campaign Dinner 2022
What a captivating night as we kicked off our capital campaign. This capital campaign effort is to build a commitment to equity for our participants and volunteers. As we plan to RENOVATE INNOVATE AND EDUCATE, the Inspiredu Volunteer and Training Center will provide us with the opportunity to further enhance our home and create a digital hub that links opportunities to reality.
Our incredible All-In Dinner shared the blueprints for our new Volunteer and Training Center with the vision for the VTC:
Inspiredu Volunteer and Training Center (VTC) will be the launchpad site for Digital Inclusion programming throughout the state of Georgia.
Upgrading our facility will expand our programming and provide an optimal learning environment and outcomes for our families.
Enhance collaboration among staff, volunteers, and community partners
Increased capacity of device distributions by 300%
Our CEO Richard Hicks began the night with words of wisdom about our work and the importance of giving our community the opportunity to join us in person. Richard insisted that this could not be done without the help of our corporate sponsors and generous board members.
We then had a chance to hear from Oneisha Freeman, our Director of Partnerships and Programs about the importance of building the training center at the warehouse located in 30318 zip code. She explained that this area has a low child well-being score alone and nearly half a million children in Atlanta alone live in communities with low or very low child well-being. She explained the importance of our impact and the powerful difference it can make to our Georgian families.
We had participants Yesenia Lopez, Shauna kay, and Digital Champion, Safa Delery all speak about their experiences with Inspiredu and how important it is for there to be a space made for participants to attend and learn. Yesenia shared in her heartfelt speech that she grew up in an all-spanish-speaking household and wasn’t afforded the same opportunity as her kids. She is grateful they would not have to repeat the same history. Shauna Kay expressed her gratitude for such quality services from Inspiredu and admired the warehouse space for her dreams of partnering up with Inspiredu through her business to help teach moms positive discipline and the possibilities that it could bring for her as a mom and a business owner. Safa had such a courageous story about her family migrating from Afghanistan and her determination to continue to help her Afghan community by being a Digital Champion and helping them navigate their digital paths.
Board member Patrick Hiller said gracious words about Inspiredu and shared his passion to help us move the project forward. He challenged the attendees to make a donation to our Capital Campaign by kicking it off with a $50,000 donation from his family. That donation was followed by board member Craig Hyde’s donation and his amazing story of success with Inspiredu. Grant Shih capped the night by also making a generous donation to help build our Volunteer Training Center.
Overall the night was a success and the message was received after sitting in our warehouse with no air conditioning. Our attendees continued to make donations through the night and we raised a total of $170,000. We have already begun doing the work to help our participants improve their digital skills at our warehouse space. We want to continue to gain the trust and support from our cohorts to help us continue to RENOVATE INNOVATE EDUCATE over the next 2 years. Learn more about how you can support or make a contribution here
Photos by Brian Bates Photos