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UNCF Celebrates its 70th Anniversary and Education at the 2nd Annual Washington, DC UNCF Masked Ball

UNCF Celebrates its 70th Anniversary and Education at the 2nd Annual Washington, DC UNCF Masked Ball

Event Honoring Radio/TV Legend Donnie Simpson

Northern Virginia Technology Companies Are Among Event Sponsors

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Washington, DC (March 17, 2014) – UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) will celebrate its 70th anniversary and party with a purpose at the 2nd annual UNCF Masked Ball. Civic, business and education leaders from across the Washington Metro Area will gather Thursday, March 27, 2014 at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.  The event will raise funds in support of education and providing students with the support to get to and through college. UNCF is the nation’s oldest and most effective organization providing minority higher education scholarship assistance.   Stephen G. Canton, Chairman & CEO of iCore Networks is leading “Northern VA UNCF Strong” a campaign to increase the amount of support that UNCF receives from Northern Virginia companies for the MASKED Ball and is also serving as Co-chair of the Ball. 

 “iCore is proud to be a continued partner and strong supporter of UNCF and I personally encourage all business owners in the Northern Virginia region to consider supporting UNCF and helping to advance the cause for supporting minority higher education” said Canton. “UNCF’s work provides invaluable access to education for minority students and is a tremendous organization exerting significant positive influence on our local community and economy. Together we have made tremendous strides toward helping UNCF extend its reach and mission through higher productivity and efficiency brought about by tech-driven telecom.” Other Northern Virginia companies supporting the UNCF Masked Ball include Aerojet Rocketdyne in Arlington, VA and Neustar, Inc. in Sterling, VA.

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Neustar president and CEO, Lisa Hook, is a leader in innovation, pushing her company to the forefront in the Marketing and Security industries. Neustar is the first real-time, cloud-based information services and analytics provider enabling clients to effectively promote and protect their businesses. By using unique, authoritative data combined with our clients’ information, the company makes data-driven decisions through actionable analytics.  “We are honored to sponsor this event, as we share UNCF’s vision of investing in the next generation of our nation’s talent,” said Hook.  “At Neustar, our strength lies in the diversity of our projects, our broad-ranging perspectives, and the people who bring it all together. For us, it goes beyond equal opportunity employment.  As we drive change as a business and technology leader, it becomes our responsibility to ensure the youth in our communities are given the same opportunities and we are committed to working with unparalleled organizations such as UNCF to make that happen.”

This year’s honorees include legendary radio and television legend Donnie Simpson and his wife Pam, who have been among UNCF’s top individual donors; Marriott International, a corporation that has been among the top UNCF corporate donors since 1973; and Zion Baptist Church of Washington, one of the top UNCF church donors.  Also being honored will be Frank K. Ross, Managing Partner for KMPG, for his longstanding volunteer community involvement in the Washington area.

The UNCF Masked Ball is an elegant evening of dining and dancing that allows progressive companies to participate in funding and providing college access to America’s under-privileged youth. It also provides opportunities for networking with some of the top public and private sector leaders in the Washington Metropolitan Area.  Ernie Jarvis, Senior Vice President of First Potomac Realty Trust, and Debbi Jarvis, Vice President of Pepco, return as Masked Ball Co-chairs and will join iCore’s Steve Canton. 

Entertainment will be provided by Washington’s own Grammy-Award winning artist Mya, as well as the always-popular Julia & Company.

Sponsorship and tickets are now on sale and can be purchased using the following link: http://give.uncf.org/site/Calendar?id=102181&view=Detail. For information, please contact Meta Williams, (202) 810-0332 or via email meta.williams@uncf.org.

About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities.  Learn more at www.uncf.org

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