Welcome Greetings Friends and Supporters of RKL, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 5th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Rho Kappa Lambda Chapter in partnership with our non-profit arm, the RKL Education Foundation, Inc. Through our Foundation we are able to provide academic scholarships to assist worthy college bound seniors to defray the cost of pursuing higher education. In addition to providing scholarships to several students in Gwinnett, we have managed to ease the transition of many more through the ranks of academia by offering various enrichment programs to better prepare our youth in their pursuit of a brighter future. Our chapter just celebrated 14 years of service in the Gwinnett community. Over that span of time we have provided various initiatives in the areas of Education, Health & Wellness, Political Awareness and very dear to our spirit, youth mentoring. It’s our passion and commitment to improve our collective circumstance that fuels our outreach. In alignment with one of our national programs, which expanded its scope three years ago from “Go-to-High School Go-to-College” to “From High Chair to Higher Education” seeing the need to engage our young earlier in their development, we had previously established the Future Men of Distinction enrichment program. This shift in focus validated the foresight of RKL to target not only high school age kids but also middle school aged kids. The opportunity will continue to allow us to develop other youth programs in the near future. We consider ourselves ‘Servants of All’ and believe united we can overcome the challenge of the day. With your continued support, we look forward to future opportunities to harness our talents for the betterment of Gwinnett and Greater Atlanta at large. Sincerely, Aaron L. Ruffin, President Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Rho Kappa Lambda Chapter
Program Invocation Welcome Bro. Aaron Ruffin Diversity Awards Presentation Bro. Erik Provitt Introduction of Speaker Bro. Erik Provitt Keynote Speaker - Dar’shun Kendrick Rev. Dr. MLK Jr. Litany Future Men of Distinction & Guest Closing / Special Acknowledgements Bro. Aaron Ruffin & Bro. Andre Neblett
The RKL Education Foundation, Inc. is a 501(C) (3) nonprofit organization based in GwinnettCounty, GA. RKLEF was established in May 14, 2002 by nine men interested in consolidating their efforts in mentoring and the uplifting of humanity through charitable, educational, and social activities. The foundation has helped young men and women, ages 12-21 years, who are seeking to be leaders and attend college. We also provide educational, motivational and skill building tools on issues of responsibility, relationships, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. In addition to helping the youth, RKLEF also helps in creating economic development within the community and provides viable opportunities for positive change. The foundation is based upon three primary values: Manly Deeds, Scholarship and Love for all mankind.
2015 Diversity Honorees Rachel Lazarus, Atlanta Legal Aid Dr. Tommy Welch, Gwinnett County Schools LaShawn Smith, Gwinnett County Schools
Dar’shun Kendrick
Keynote Speaker Dar’shun Kendrick was born in Atlanta, GA and raised in South DeKalb County. Both her parents, Ricky and Daisy Kendrick, are lifelong DeKalb County residents. She attended DeKalb County public schools and graduated from Towers High School (Decatur, GA) in 2000 at the top of her class. She is the owner of her own law firm, Kendrick Law Practice, that caters to small business owners all over Georgia and the owner of SocialProf, an online marketing consulting firm for attorneys and elected officials.
She received her undergraduate degree at Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, GA), her law degree from the University of Georgia (Athens, GA) and her Master’s in Business Administration from Kennesaw State (Kennesaw, GA). Service in the House Rep. Kendrick currently is in her 2nd term as a Member of the Georgia House of Representatives, serving over 54,00 Georgians in East DeKalb and South Gwinnett counties. Rep. Kendrick currenly serves on the Judiciary (Non-Civil), Juvenile Justice, Special Rules and as the Ranking Democrat on the Small Business Development and Job Creation Committee. Additionally she is Communications Chair for the DeKalb House Delegation, Working Families Caucus and Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and a Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus.
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In Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month, the Gwinnett Chamber salutes the Rho Kappa Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the RKL Education Foundation, Inc. The Gwinnett Chamber knows the power of working together and the success that it can bring to a community. By uniting as one voice and one community, the people and organizations of Gwinnett have created a solid award-winning environment that excels on all fronts. It is because of organizations like Rho Kappa Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the RKL Education Foundation, Inc. and their achievements that have made a winning environment for Gwinnett. Join the Gwinnett Chamber as we come together as one voice and one community to continue to put the “win� in Gwinnett.
For more information visit www.gwinnettchamber.org or call 770.232.3000.