Red Carpet Reception and Auction Viewing Welcome – Meagan Good, Mistress of Ceremonies Performance – Arrested Development Video – Introduction to Bridge DA Gap Opening Remarks – Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz Prayer – Pastor Calvin J. Tibbs Dinner Served Live Auction/Raffle Award Ceremony Visionary Award – Mayor Kasim Reed Legacy Award – Dr. Charles Steele Jr. Change Maker Award – Curly M. Dossman Jr. Change Maker Award – Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz Trailblazer Award – Amanda Davis Youth Empowerment Award – Dr. Ed Morris Youth Impact Awards – Johnny Chapman, Tynesha Anderson, Deonte Bridges, Victor Nkwocha Acknowledgement of Sponsors – Meagan Good Bridge DA Gap Presentation – Kevin “Khao” Cates, Saso, Bizzo, J Bless, Emi Morris, Toya Matthews Closing Remarks – Dee Thompson
ABOUT
Bridge DA Gap (BDG) is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) youth development movement. Founded by Kevin “Khao” Cates, BDG is comprised of a team of professionals who are continuously researching and developing goods and services that lend hope to transforming school environments from the “insideout.” This is accomplished through demonstrating value and appreciation for student’s cultural and life experiences in both instruction and curriculum resources. Using various mediums of Hip Hop culture, the BDG movement passes on a rich legacy of core values, self-discipline and contemporary life skills to support the social, academic and economic (career) goals of some of our most vulnerable youth. BDG inspires youth, valuing them as assets for our future and in return, students aspire to reach higher heights in their personal pursuits.
Kevin “KHAO”
CATES
There is a NEW warrior and advocate for our youth. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Grammy-nominated Super Producer Kevin “Khao” Cates has seen his fair share of success crafting hit records for T.I., R-Kelly, Jay-Z, and Ludacris just to name a few; but according to Khao he strives to be significant and not just successful. Inspired by a speech by Dr. Charles Steele in 2008 in which Steele apologized to the younger generation for not passing the torch of instilling the values that were taught to his generation, Cates found his purpose--to bridge the gap between the generations and instill key character building traits that our youth needed to change their lives--as he did for himself when he was a teen. Cates would later team up with Steele to put together the “Million March to Vote” in Atlanta, which received coverage from CNN, ABC, NBC and FOX news. Putting his money and time where his heart is, Cates walked out of the studio and took 1½ years off to develop the Bridge DA (Developing Academics) Gap program, sacrificing $1M of potential earning power to make Bridge DA Gap a reality. Cates and his wife Kimiko are the proud parents of two sons Kevin and Kaleb.
Meagan
GOOD Born in Panorama City, California, Meagan Good began starring in commercials at age 4, and to date has completed over 60 national television commercials. She made her prime-time television debut starring as Sarah’s best friend Katie on the Friday night WB show, Raising Dad. Good’s first major television role was as a series regular on the TV hit Cousin Skeeter. Meagan did a four episode stint on the law drama, Kevin Hill. She also guest starred on various shows, House M.D., Cold Case, Moesha, Touched By An Angel, The Steve Harvey Show, The Famous Jett Jackson, The Division, and The Parenthood to name a few. Good is co-owner of the production company, Freedom Bridge Entertainment where she executive produced and starred opposite actor/director Ty Hodges in Miles From Home. Miles From Home premiered in several film festivals where it swept all of the awards including best feature, best actress (Good) and best director. Good’s most recent role was in 2012’s Act Like a Lady But Think Like A Man, a movie based on a book by Steve Harvey. Good currently lives in CA where she was most recently married to DeVon Franklin in June.
Mayor Kasim
REED Mayor Kasim Reed was raised in Atlanta’s Cascade community. He was educated in Fulton County’s public schools where he graduated from Utoy Springs Elementary School and Westwood High School (now Westlake High School). From there, he went on to Howard University, where he received his undergraduate and law degrees. Kasim was first elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1998 as State Representative for District 52. He was reelected in 2000, winning seventy-seven percent (77%) of all votes cast. In the House, he served two terms as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Education Committee and Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee. Kasim continued his successful leadership as the State Senator for District 35. He was elected in August 2002, winning 66% percent of all votes cast. He served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Special Judiciary Committee, Urban Affairs Committee, Higher Education Committee, Ethics Committee, Transportation Committee, and the State and Local Government Operations Committee. He also served as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. The citizens of Atlanta elected Kasim Reed to be the City’s 59th Mayor on December 1, 2009.
Dr. Charles
STEELE JR. Charles Steele, Jr. was born on August 3, 1946, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Mr. Steele is a civil rights leaders first, using his constituency as a pulse to direct action and chapter development of public policies. His vision of a “national playing field� keeps him in touch with current issues and political fairness. In 1985 Mr. Steele was elected to theTuscaloosa City Council where he served two terms. His dedication to serving his constituents was evident through his many worthwhile and tangible accomplishments in Tuscaloosa County and West Alabama. During his tenure as City Councilman, he organized the Unity Day Scholarship Fund, The Tuscaloosa Police Athletic League, and secured funds to build the Bernice Washington Insight Center. In 1994, Charles Steele, Jr. was elected to the Alabama State Senate where he served three terms before his role as SCLC President. He and his wife, Cathelean Annette Steele are the proud parents of two daughters, LeKeisha and Charla.
Curley M.
DOSSMAN JR. Curley is responsible for community relations program development for headquarters and local plant communities and administration of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation and community programs department. In his role he works closely with Georgia-Pacific’s executive leadership on Atlanta and Georgia-focused programs important to the company. In directing the activities of the GP Foundation, Curley is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s overall philanthropic strategies. Curley received a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in 1973 and a law degree from Washington University School of Law in 1976. Since that time, he has assumed positions of increasing responsibility in the government and public affairs arena. Just prior to joining GP in late 1994, he was state vice president, government affairs for AT&T, where he was responsible for representing that corporation’s interests in the legislative, regulatory and industry relations areas. A native of Louisiana, Curley served for several years as legislative assistant and special assistant for U.S. Senator Russell B. Long (Louisiana). Curley’s wife Jennifer is a Honors Graduate of Spelman College. They have a 21-year-old son, Jonathan who attends Morehouse College.
Carrie
SCHWAB-POMERANTZ Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, CFP®, is president of Charles Schwab Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization funded by The Charles Schwab Corporation, whose mission is to help individuals and families achieve lifelong financial well-being through education, volunteerism and advocacy. In addition, Schwab-Pomerantz serves as Director and Chairman of Schwab Charitable, which, as one of the country’s largest donor-advised funds, has facilitated more than $2 billion in grants since its inception in 1999. Under her leadership, the Foundation has established several programs for the underserved. Money Matters: Make It CountSM, a national financial education program for teens created in collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, was cited by U.S. Treasury’s National Strategy on Financial Literacy as a best public private sector initiative in 2006. The Foundation also supports the philanthropy of Schwab employees, encouraging and rewarding volunteerism in programs that promote financial literacy and well-being. In 2010 Schwab-Pomerantz was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability. As chair of the Partnership Committee, SchwabPomerantz leads the Council’s efforts to strengthen and enhance coordination between public and private-sector education programs. In addition, she sits on the Youth Committee, which promotes financial capability for the country’s youth and young adults.
Amanda
DAVIS Amanda Davis is the Emmy award winning co-anchor for the top-rated FOX 5 News. Amanda came to FOX 5 Atlanta in 1986 from WSB-TV, where she was an anchor and reporter. A graduate of Clark College in Atlanta, her broadcasting career began in Charlotte, NC, with WRET-TV where she became the main anchor and hosted a weekly magazine show. Amanda then moved to Satellite News Channel in D.C. At Fox, Amanda launched the highly-successful Good Day Atlanta in 1992 before taking over as anchor in 1997. Amanda has received numerous awards but her true labor of love is her work to find permanent homes for Georgia’s foster children. She began the project in 1997 with a series of stories called A Place to Call Home. The Freddie Mac Foundation then approached FOX 5 with the idea of presenting weekly profiles of children available for adoption and Wednesday’s Child was launched in November 2000. In its first year, 32 children were placed in loving homes and it is still going strong today. In its first year, 32 children were placed in loving homes. Her work with Wednesday’s Child is still going strong and Amanda has been honored for her dedication by the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and with the Kenan’s Kids Foundation Media Award.
Dr. Eddie
MORRIS Dr. Eddie Morris is president of Men of Destiny (MOD), a non-profit organization that enhances the educational experiences of atrisk children. MOD currently has more than 1,000 members in schools in two Atlanta-area school systems. Dr. Morris’ work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on MSNBC.com, CNN, People TV Atlanta and the Bravo Network, accompanied by rap artist Chris Bridges (Ludacris). Dr. Morris has presented the MOD concept at St. Louis Public Schools, University City (Missouri) Public Schools, Baltimore Public Schools and Savannah State University. He has also created a model Women of Destiny program (WOD) at Bear Creek Middle School, where he is a social worker. Dr. Morris has served as a social worker in the Fulton County, Georgia public schools since 2004. From 1999-2004, he held the same position in Atlanta Public Schools. His work has been recognized by the State of Georgia for having improved graduation rates for consecutive years at Banneker High School in Fulton County. Dr. Morris holds a Ph.D. in social work planning, administration and social science with a minor in educational leadership from Clark Atlanta University School of Social Work, where he also received a master’s degree in clinical social work. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Central Missouri, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.
Special Acknowledgments Special Thanks to our Title Sponsors - AJ Green Sports, Charles Schwab Foundation, Charles Schwab – Atlanta, Georgia Pacific, SunTrust, The Integral Group, Association of Graduates/US Air Force Academy, Studio 144, BDG Publishing Contributing Sponsors - OTG Media, Dazzle Me Parties, Emans Angels.com, CHECM8 Worldwide, MIndspring.com, Gerry Kelley Marketing & Event Planning, Montgomery Foods, Chef Finley, Atlanta Promotions & Breakthroughs, Eman’s Angels Marketing & Promotions, Jayda Cabbell, Kicks Kids, Play Entertainment, QTalks, World of Champs, Dukes Foundation Corporation Presenters - Dr. Dennis Kimbro, Teddy Riley, CashOut Bridge DA Gap Advisory Board – Dr. Ben Carson, John Causey II, Everett Darby, Tommy Dortch Jr, Hillary DeCesare, Justin Fishkin, Meagan Good, Laureen Lamb, Ronnie Lott, Jason McCall, Edgert Perry, Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, Bill Swift, William “T” Thompson, Armstrong Williams Partners - Khao Music Group, BDG Publishing, DAT Consulting Group, Charles Schwab Foundation, Georgia Pacific, Boys and Girls Club of America, Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, HOPE Worldwide, HELP Worldwide, Atlanta Public Schools, GA Dept of Human Services/ Independent Living, Andrew and Walter Young YMCA Team – Denise “Dee” Thompson, Willie Brown, Jackelinne Irizarry, Carla Thompson, Anthony Thomas, Brandon Wiggins, Amir Windom, Gwen Marshall, Joseph Davis, Diane McCoy, Dr. Tina Thompson-Smith, Julian Streete, Devon Sincere, Yamil Little, Arthur Powell, Andrea Bowman, Saso Joseph, Andrea Williams, Sincere Lee, D Focis, Patricia Nicholas, Isha Kadi, Shahlayo Ranson, Jon Jon, Shadow, Micki Esposito, Toya Matthews, Emi Morris, J Bless, Brandon Williams, Malcolm Smith, Bernard Brooks, Warren Barge, Nicolas Aaron, Pam Frazier-Anderson, Dana Campbell, Stacey Tisdale, John Spence, Sam Banks