An Evening At The Cotton Club 2nd Triennial Gala

ORLANDO, FL, August 28, 2024 – MAN UP Mentoring, Inc. (MAN UP) will commemorate a decade of impact on the evening of Saturday, September 21st, 2024, at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Downtown Orlando.

 

The must-attend soiree, themed, An Evening at The Cotton Club, will revive the elegance and swing of the legendary Harlem 1920s social club and will be hailed as one of Orlando’s signature galas and premier social events of 2024.

 

With an event fundraising goal of $150,000, proceeds raised will help the community-based organization hire more trauma-informed staff and expand their new MAN UP CEO Program. A mentoring initiative that focuses on workforce development, career readiness, youth entrepreneurship, financial literacy, literacy tutoring and post-secondary education.

 

Based in Orlando, the youth mentoring program continues to raise the bar in the Central Florida Community, closing opportunity gaps in education, mentorship, family stability and juvenile delinquency. Research shows in Florida it can cost taxpayers up to $91,000 a year to incarcerate a youth, versus $2500 a year to mentor them. On average, MAN UP mentors 52 youth annually, with 96% of youth not offending or reoffending in the juvenile justice system, saving taxpayers more than $22 million over the last decade. 

 

“It sometimes takes the vision, the courage, and the wisdom of a few to light the path for the many. This is no less true when it comes to our youth and their rise to the greatness of their future. This is the vision that we celebrate by the recognition of what these honorees of MAN UP Mentoring, Inc. have done. These honorees saw light when others saw darkness. These honorees see the path forward when others have lost their way,” said the organization’s Board Chairman, LeRoy Pernell.

 

This year’s honorees will include: 

• Edward Merced, a remote pharmacy technician at Centene will be a recipient of the inaugural MAN UP Alum Award,

• N.Y. Nathiri, the Executive Director of The Association to Preserve Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.) will be presented with the Dena A. Robinson Legacy Award,

• Harris Rosen, Philanthropist & Founder of Rosen Hotels & Resorts will receive the Bruce Green Community Champion Award,

• Kevin T. Collins, Editor-in-Chief of The Orlando Times will be honored with the Moses J. Newson Trailblazer Award,

• Gregorio Francis, Esq. of Osborne & Francis Law Firm will be a recipient of the inaugural Game Changer Award, and

• Emeritus Pastors Dr. Dennis Ross, Jr. and Jacquelyn Ross, Executive Directors of Operation ReachBack Orlando will be honored with the Thomas Brown Beacon of Light Award.

 

The extravagant social affair will pay homage to the “Golden Age” in African American culture by showcasing highly acclaimed art, literature and jazz. The evening will also feature an array of casino-style gaming activities, silent and live auctions, a salute to honorees, a live band and much more.

 

Patron Tables are $2,500; however, additional corporate sponsorship opportunities are available ranging from $4,500 to $25,000, program ads range in price from $250 to $1000, and individual tickets are $150.

 

Staying with the sophistication and class of the Cotton Club theme, black tie attire is requested.

 

The deadline for all pledges to be confirmed and program ads to be submitted has been extended to September 4th.

 

For more information or to donate, please visit manupmentoring.com/gala Follow this event on social media @manupmentoring #MANUPCottonClub2024

 

 

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ABOUT THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE:

The Harlem Renaissance was a period of rich cross-disciplinary artistic and cultural activity among African Americans between the end of World War I (1917) and the onset of the Great Depression and lead up to World War II (the 1930s). Artists associated with the movement asserted pride in black life and identity, a rising consciousness of inequality and discrimination, and interest in the rapidly changing modern world—many experiencing a freedom of expression through the arts for the first time, (National Gallery of Art, n.d.)

 

ABOUT MAN UP MENTORING, INC.

MAN UP Mentoring, Inc. is a community-based non-profit 501c (3) charity organization primarily serving at-risk youth ages 11 through completion of high school or the equivalent across Metro Orlando, with a focus on delinquency prevention and intervention by providing social, educational, and mentoring services. Established in 2014 by Orlando natives, brother and sister duo Christopher and Samantha Wallace. Currently, it is managed by an Executive Director, contractors and a full-time staff of volunteers. It is overseen by a Board of Directors with more than 150 years of law enforcement and civilian experience, as well as advisors from the Orange County Public School System and social services.