San Antonio to host the 11th Annual UNCF Mayor's Luncheon

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- UNCF (United Negro College Fund) will host its 11th annual San Antonio UNCF Mayor's Luncheon at 12 p.m., Monday, March 4, at the Norris Conference Center. Nearly 250 attendees, corporate partners, religious leaders and community influencers are expected to attend, including keynote speaker the honorable Mayor Ron Nirenberg, city of San Antonio.

"I am proud to be continuing this tradition in San Antonio, and I appreciate all of the sponsors who help make this event a major success. UNCF's work helping people of color get access to higher education must go on," said Nirenberg. "Scholarships such as those awarded by UNCF make a significant difference. They reduce student debt and allow more Americans to work their way into high-income brackets."

For 75 years, UNCF has strived to change the HBCU narrative across the nation by equipping more minority students with the resources necessary to transition into college, graduate and ultimately expand and diversify America's highly educated workforce.

"A college education is more important than ever, but it is also more expensive than ever. We are living in a time when official support for getting a college education—state support for state colleges and universities, federal support for Pell Grants and other student aid—is under attack and losing purchasing power," said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President and CEO, UNCF. "So that means that more students of color than ever before are looking to UNCF to invest in them. Events like the San Antonio Mayor's Luncheon help us meet their needs."

Luncheon sponsors include H-E-B, McCombs Enterprises, Valero Foundation, Whataburger, Frost Bank, hulu Michael and Barbara Gentry, CH Guenther and Sons, Marathon Oil, NuStar Energy/Greehey Foundation, Budweiser/Silver Eagle, J. Tullos Wells, Linebager, Attorney's at Law, Pape-Dawson Engineers, Spurs Sports and Entertainment, Texas Heritage Bank, W. Willie Heard, Sr. and many others.

Paula Gold-Williams, President, CPS Energy, will each receive the UNCF "Keeper of the Flame" award for her steadfast commitment to education and unwavering support of UNCF. "Education provides opportunities that we might not otherwise have. I am proud to support UNCF and events like the UNCF Mayor's Luncheon to help provide educational opportunities for students in our community," Gold-Williams said. "I am humbled to be honored with the 'Keeper of the Flame' award, and I'm committed to continuing to put people first."

With the release of UNCF's landmark publication, HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, we know graduates from the nine Texas HBCUs annually contribute $1.3 billion in total economic impact and more than 11,490 jobs to the state. And, with the help of the San Antonio community, $638,385 was awarded last year in scholarships and programs for UNCF-member HBCUs like Huston-Tillotson University, Morehouse College and Jarvis Christian College. Scholarship dollars also went to students attending Texas A&M University, Baylor University, the University of Houston Harvard and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center.

"UNCF is committed to equipping our students with the necessary tools to succeed," said Juana Collins, area development director, UNCF. "Whether attending one of our local HBCUs such as Huston-Tillotson, our goal is to empower our young people to be successful throughout their lives, ensuring better futures for us all."

For more information and sponsorship opportunities, contact Juana Collins at 713.942.8623 or by email at juana.collins(at)uncf.org. Unable to attend, but want to make a difference in student's life? Please visit UNCF.org/SanAntonioLuncheon. You can also follow this event @UNCF #UNCF #UNCFSanAntonio #UNCF75 on social media.

About UNCF
UNCF (the 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, supports and 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 17 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 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNCF.

SOURCE UNCF (United Negro College Fund)