Special to the Recorder
The beverage company Moet Hennessy has long supported multicultural initiatives. Hennessy will dedicate a portion of its profits from this winter to support some Indiana community programs. A percentage of the proceeds from every Hennessy product purchased in November will go to four institutions that are “leading the way in education, personal development, and professional advancement,” including two in Indiana, according to the company.
More than $15,000 was raised through the project, which will be divided equally among the Mozel Sanders Thanksgiving Dinner program, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Earlham College, and National United Merchants Beverage Association (NUMBA). Hennessy stated that the community support program is a way to give back, cultivate relationships, and bring to the forefront the need for philanthropic action in Indiana.
“The only way our charity is able to continue to serve the community is with the assistance of people, along with companies like Moet Hennessy,” said Stephanie Sanders of the Mozel Sanders Foundation. Established in 1998, the Mozel Sanders Foundation serves Thanksgiving dinner to thousands of Indianapolis residents in need. The foundation also organizes a monthly food giveaway at Mount Vernon Community Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund Inc. was named for the U.S. Supreme Court’s first African-American justice. The fund was established in 1987 and represents the nation’s 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities and six law schools (HBCUs), along with the 235,000 students matriculating on their campuses. Approximately 80 percent of all students attending HBCUs benefit from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Earlham College, which is located in Richmond, Ind., offers a liberal arts education “shaped by the distinctive perspectives of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers),” states the college. A basic faith of the Religious Society of Friends is “all truth is God’s truth”; thus Earlham emphasizes: “pursuit of truth, wherever that pursuit leads; lack of coercion, letting the evidence lead that search; respect for the consciences of others; openness to new truth and therefore the willingness to search; veracity, rigorous integrity in dealing with the facts; and application of what is known to improving our world.”
The National United Merchants Beverage Association (NUMBA) is comprised of African-Americans who are in the licensed beverage and hospitality industries. NUMBA’s goal is to strengthen the image of African-Americans in the industry by assisting in developing culturally sensitive, age-appropriate marketing programs.
President and CEO of Thurgood Marshall College Johnny C. Taylor Jr. said, “With Thurgood Marshall College Fund-member schools educating some 80 percent of all students attending HBCUs, Hennessy’s community support program is critical to helping us actualize our mission of Changing the World … one leader at a time through the 235,000 gifted and talented students attending our 47 public HBCUs and six law schools.”
