The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is serious about minority students matriculating into college and graduating with a degree that leads to a promising career. Yet for one night, the local branch of the organization is hosting a fun-filled fete to raise public awareness to support deserving students through UNCF.
The eighth annual UNCF Masked Ball will be held Dec. 5 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis. The silent auction and reception begin at 5:30 p.m.; elegant dining and a live auction begin at 7 p.m.; and dancing and live entertainment begin at 9 p.m. Individual tickets are $300, tables are $2,500 and sponsorships are up to $25,000.
“This is the area office’s major fundraiser for supporting the UNCF mission — raising unrestricted dollars to support our membered institutions as well as our students,” said Andrea Neely, regional development director for the Indianapolis Region for UNCF.
The ball began with a 150-person reception and today boasts more than 800 supporters raising upward of $500,000. The gala has collected more than $4.6 million total. Neely believes the steadfast support stems from the presence the regional office has within the community and that there is a realization the UNCF is a valuable resource for students who want to attend local schools and particularly Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“I can assure you that your support helps to ensure that our institutions can meet their financial needs. In addition, UNCF scholarships that are supported by your donations make the difference between students attending and staying in school, or not having the opportunity to attend at all,” said Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF.
Neely also attributes local success to Hoosiers’ dedication to providing quality K–12 education so students can enroll in and graduate from an institution of higher learning. A recent campaign spearheaded by Neely’s Indy office — with participants including UNCF leadership councils in cities like Gary, Fort Wayne and Evansville, and supported by corporations such as Vectren, Anthem and NIPSCO — helped raise $1.4 million statewide. About $600,000 went to students of color throughout Indiana to attend college.
“We are providing an end result, being educated students of color, who are now impacting the workforce, particularly those corporations that are focused on diversity and inclusion within their fields,” said Neely.
Not long ago, Lilly Endowment Inc. pledged its support to UNCF with a generous and meaningful gift. The organization has committed $50 million for UNCF to help launch the “UNCF Career Pathways Initiative.” Through this initiative, UNCF will award competitive grants to 87 public and private four-year, UNCF-member HBCUs and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) to help students gain the knowledge, preparation, insight and skill needed for meaningful employment after turning their graduation tassels.
“This is substantial for UNCF, the institutions that will receive the funding, the students who will benefit from the programs they’ll learn from and the communities in which students will work in,” said Brian Bridges, vice president of research and member engagement for UNCF.
Lilly Endowment’s gift ties for the second largest contribution UNCF has received in its 71-year history.
The intent of Career Pathways Initiative is to strengthen career guidance and discernment and enhance students’ experience at HBCUs and PBIs by adding certain skills, experiences and knowledge required by employers. This initiative is an opportunity for the schools eligible for the initiative to serve as best-practice incubators and models for preparing college grads to immediately and seamlessly enter the workforce in their chosen field.
“The key is institutions aligning workforce needs locally and regionally, so students have options available to them,” said Bridges.
Other program perks include professional development opportunities for faculty of member institutions; a collection of baseline data on alumni to learn more about their post-graduate placement, work experience, employment trends and graduate school pursuits; and an annual convening to cultivate communities of practice across campuses to share proven strategies for enhancing career prep and to learn from national experts in college-to-work transitions.
Bridges said the Career Pathways Initiative will be housed administratively under the Institute for Capacity Building arm of UNCF. The organization is also putting the finishing touches on initiative guidelines and will present information to the eligible member institutions in the upcoming weeks.
In addition to the Career Pathway Initiative, UNCF has an abundance of worthwhile programs including the UNCF Empower Me Tour, National Pre-Alumni Council, the UNCF/Merck Science Initiative fellowship and internships across the country.
“We have a wide range of internships from the Disney Scholars Program to Anthem right there in Indianapolis. Annually we place anywhere from 85 to 100 students in internships, and we’re looking to grow that further,” said Bridges.
Damien Miller, a student at Wiley College who is originally from Gary, Indiana, will be recognized at the Indianapolis Masked Ball. He is the first class for the Anthem Corporate Scholars Program, a $270,000 investment Anthem made in 2014.
“He completed a paid internship this summer at Anthem and will come back next summer with hopes of gaining employment at Anthem upon college graduation. We’ll celebrate him along with Trevor Goodall, a student at Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School, who will be receiving the UNCF-administered Gates Millennium Scholarship, and he will be attending Notre Dame. And he’s first-generation to attend college, so we are really excited for this young man,” said Neely.
She added that ensuring benefit recipients attend the annual ball allows donors to see firsthand the return on their investment. It also shows how UNCF scholarships help change students’ lives for the better and that the generosity of the local community can change even more lives.
“We’re also going to acknowledge our long-term partner, friend and advocate the late Amos Brown. For over 35 years he’s supported us, even when he hosted the telethon at the Walker. Importantly, he’s been one of our emcees of the masked ball, so we will greatly miss him supporting our initiatives,” said Neely.
For more information on UNCF programs or the Masked Ball, call the Indianapolis UNCF office at (317) 283-3920 or visit UNCF.org.
