Cable Industry Movers and Shakers Celebrate Diversity at 13th Annual NAMIC Holiday Benefit Gala

Cable Industry Movers and Shakers Celebrate Diversity at 13th Annual NAMIC Holiday Benefit Gala

NAMIC Foundation Names The HOPE Program 2006 Digital Bridge Alliance Project Grantee

NAMIC Foundation Board of Advisors Announced

NEW YORK, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The 13th annual NAMIC Holiday Benefit Gala presented by NAMIC (NAMIC National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) in partnership with NAMIC-New York was held on Thursday, November 30, 2006 at the New York Marriott Marquis and it was a night to remember. More than 500 of the cable industry's movers and shakers were on-hand to celebrate diversity and this year's honorees Scripps Networks and Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA). Additionally, New York City-based non-profit organization The HOPE Program was recognized as the NAMIC Foundation's 2006 Digital Bridge Alliance Project (DBA) Grantee. The DBA Project awards grants to organizations providing underserved communities of color with assistance in the areas of technology education and computer literacy.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061204/NYM273 )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060705/NYW092LOGO )

Marked by its exquisite holiday season decor, a dinner menu created by The Food Network and wine selections chosen by Fine Living, the evening was highlighted by acceptance speeches presented by John Lansing, President, Scripps Networks and Congressman Becerra. HGTV personalities Gail O'Neill ("Mission: Organization") and Clive Pearse ("Designed to Sell" and "Design Star") served as hosts. Further highlighting the event was the announcement of the NAMIC Foundation Board of Advisors presented by Kathy Johnson, President, NAMIC. The Foundation's newly installed advisors include: George Bodenheimer, Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks and President, ESPN, Inc. & ABC Sports; Glenn Britt, President & CEO, Time Warner Cable; David Cohen, Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation; Patrick Esser, President, Cox Communications, Inc.; Geraldine Laybourne, Chairman & CEO, Oxygen Media, Inc.; Laureen Ong, President, National Geographic Channel; Abbe Raven, President & CEO, A&E Television Networks; Joshua Sapan, President & CEO, Rainbow Media Holdings LLC; and Kelvin Westbrook, President & CEO, Millennium Digital Media Systems LLC.

"We are fortunate to have such an illustrious group of business leaders that are committed to diversity on board to guide the NAMIC Foundation and assist in its future development," said Johnson.

NAMIC-New York has led the DBA initiative by donating a portion of the proceeds from the annual NAMIC Holiday Benefit Gala to this cause for more than five years. Since 2001, the NAMIC Foundation has awarded grants to over a dozen organizations in underserved communities. Serving all five boroughs of New York City, The HOPE Program joins California-based non-profit, The Legacy Ladies as the 2006 DBA Project grant recipients. The Legacy Ladies were awarded a NAMIC Foundation Grant in the spring of 2006 for their work with the View Park Accelerated Charter School in South Los Angeles. Funding from the NAMIC Foundation will support a redesign of The HOPE Program's website and the purchase of additional computer technology.

"All of us at HOPE are thrilled to be honored at this year's NAMIC Holiday Benefit Gala and to be the recipient of this most generous grant," said Barbara Edwards Delsman, Executive Director of The HOPE Program. "Our organizations have similar missions: to educate, advocate and empower. We do this by closing the digital divide that has kept our students from competitive employment. We are grateful to the members and friends of NAMIC whose generosity will enable us to accelerate our work so that hundreds of deserving men and women will be prepared for careers in today's job market."

Launched in 1999 with the goal of communicating to people of color the relevance of taking part in the digital revolution, the DBA Project aligns with community organizations working towards the symbiotic goal of bridging the digital divide. Additionally, the NAMIC Foundation and NAMIC Chapters are closing the divide by partnering with cable operators, programmers, tech companies and community organizations to provide access to broadband connections, computer usage, training and support.

For more information on NAMIC or the NAMIC Holiday Benefit Gala visit http://www.namic.com/ or call the NAMIC national headquarters at 212-594-5985.

ABOUT NAMIC

NAMIC is the premier organization focusing on ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC is comprised of nearly 2,000 professionals belonging to a network of chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve.

ABOUT THE NAMIC FOUNDATION

The NAMIC Foundation advances multi-ethnic diversity in the cable industry by providing education, research and information to support workforce recruitment goals, programming innovation, career growth and technology access. The NAMIC Foundation raises funds to support the initiatives of NAMIC, Inc. and provides grants, by invitation only, through its Digital Bridge Alliance (DBA) Project to community-based organizations to fund projects specifically designed to bridge the digital divide in underserved communities of color.

ABOUT THE HOPE PROGRAM

For the last 22 years, The HOPE Program has been on a mission: fighting poverty. They help men and women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and communities -- many of whom have multiple barriers to employment and chronic histories of joblessness -- find and maintain a job. Their ultimate goal is to build a better future for those they serve and their families. Using a holistic approach, The HOPE Program addresses the underlying causes of each program participant's unemployment by providing them with a range of supportive services, coupled with long-term job training and career advancement services.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061204/NYM273
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060705/NYW092LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN13
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: NAMIC

CONTACT: Daphne Leroy of NAMIC, +1-212-594-5985, daphne.leroy@namic.com;
or Charmaine Chapman of BTB Communications, +1-310-242-8407,
char@btbcommunications.com

Web site: http://www.namic.com/

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