The UNCF Empower Me Tour (EMT) Presented by Wells Fargo – a free, traveling college-and career-readiness road show sponsored by UNCF (the United Negro College Fund), the country’s largest and most effective minority education organization – will feature musician, author and lifestyle entertainer Fonzworth Bentley, as host for the Tour’s “Calling All Young Men” stop at the University of California at Los Angeles on Saturday, October 19, 2013.
Celebrating its sixth anniversary, the UNCF Empower Me Tour was created in partnership with Wells Fargo to prepare students to go to and through college, and inspire them to take control of their future by using education as the foundation for achieving their goals and dreams.
“I am the fourth generation in my family to graduate from one of the 37 UNCF member institutions,” Bentley said. “Therefore, this is a very special honor for me to represent the values and goals of an organization that has given so much to not only the success of my family, but for thousands of families throughout this country and the world.”
“Wells Fargo is excited to team up again with UNCF and to revisit the UNCF Empower Me Tour,” said Byron Reed, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo. “We know that education is the greater equalizer in our country, and it is one of our passions to ensure that students have access to higher education. This Tour makes the possibility of college real to young people across the nation, by providing them and their parents with information, tools and resources that help them make informed decisions about their future.”
“We are excited to bring UNCF’s Empower Me Tour Presented by Wells Fargo to Los Angeles. The Tour provides essential tools for our area’s youth and supporting families to succeed in their academic pursuits, and transition into adulthood,” stated Curtis R. Silvers, Area Development Director for UNCF’s Los Angeles Office. “In addition to solid academic training, it is essential that students are trained as financially-responsible citizens. EMT workshops and hands-on seminars offer opportunities for participants to invest in themselves and their futures. We look forward to a continued partnership with Wells Fargo, our national corporate partners and local supporting sponsors in bringing our students to and through their collegiate journey, and beyond.”
For the Los Angeles Tour stop, educators and entrepreneurs will share their personal educational journeys with participating high school and college students. The L.A. stop will feature the “Tied to Greatness” forum, an interactive, all-male, discussion that addresses many issues facing young men and offers encouragement and empowerment to them. In this session, hosted by motivational speaker Dr. Alex O. Ellis, students will hear from a panel of diverse successful, minority male contributors who will offer testimonies and share their struggles and triumphs. Attendees will also engage with college recruiters and learn about scholarship and internship opportunities. This portion includes a presentation from coordinators of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which selects 1,000 talented students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice.
This year’s Tour speakers and workshop leaders have also included music executive Amir Windom and TV personality, style authority, and entrepreneur Tai Beauchamp. Prior Tour guests and panelists included actors Hill Harper and Tatyana Ali, journalist and social activist Jeff Johnson, and Dr. Randal Pinkett, winner of the fourth season of NBC’s The Apprentice with Donald Trump.
The UNCF Empower Me Tour Presented by Wells Fargo has visited St. Louis, New Orleans, Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington D.C. along its 2013 Tour, with upcoming stops planned for Las Vegas (October 20), Detroit (November 16), Atlanta (January 25, 2014), Memphis (February 15, 2014) and Charlotte (March 1, 2014).
In addition to Presenting Sponsor Wells Fargo, Supporting Sponsors of the UNCF Empower Me Tour include: Procter & Gamble, FedEx, US Army, US Marine Corps, and American Airlines. Education Partners: Education Is Freedom, US Department of Education Federal Student Aid, Gates Millennium Scholars Program, City Year, Inc. and Teach For America.
For more information on the Tour and to register for FREE, visit www.EmpowerMeTour.org.
