Hupy & Abraham, S.C. donates $2,500
Attorney Michael F. Hupy, senior partner, Hupy & Abraham, S.C. presents a check to ReDonna Rodgers, founder of The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship
Attorney Michael F. Hupy, Senior Partner, Hupy & Abraham, S.C. presents a check to ReDonna Rodgers, Founder of The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship (CTE) held their 18th annual “Harvest of Hope Dinner” on Nov. 18, 2009 on the campus of Marquette University in the Alumni Memorial Union Ballroom. “The dinner was a resounding success and we would like to express our sincere appreciation to our guest and supporters”, said ReDonna Rodgers, CTE’s Founder and Executive Director. Harvest of Hope was sponsored by Hupy & Abraham, Johnson Controls, Fellowship Open, Quarles & Brady and Wisconsin Energy Foundation.
The evening began with a silent auction and live jazz music by A Touch of Clazz, a band made up of siblings Ruthie, Clyde II, Cherlynne and Maya Matthews. The silent auction had everything from a Harley jacket to a desk top computer with a flat screen monitor. LaJoy Mitchell offered a beautiful rendition of the National Anthems. Mary Dowell of Johnson Controls a major sponsor and Larry Schmedeman Vice President of CTE’s Board and a professor at MSOE welcomed Harvest of Hope guest. Alex Erdman, a senior at Bayview High School and member of Holy Redeemer COGIC provided a soul stirring invocation. After a delicious dinner, Without a Word, a group of six young men mesmerized guest with a mime performance and William Matthews a student in CTE’s Youth Entrepreneur Career Development Program, a collaboration program with UW-Madison PEOPLE Program played his self composed piano music. The dinner ended with a live auction with Attorney Chad Kreblin, Partner at Hupy and Abraham, S.C. serving as the auctioneer. He auctioned off a Milwaukee Bucks Employee for a Day Experience and six months of free digital cable service from Time Warner Cable. The Milwaukee Bucks experience gives a young person the opportunity to sit courtside and serve as the towel boy or girl at a Bucks game.
Mr. Bruce Martin, real estate business owner and principal in Lena’s Food delivered the thought provoking, inspiring keynote address. He shared his unique experience of growing up in Boley, Oklahoma the largest African American town in the United States during the early 20th Century.
He told the young people in the audience to apply themselves, work hard, follow their dreams and not allow anyone to discourage them. He also warned them against listening to someone with an empty wagon trying to tell you how to fill your wagon.
CTE offers a variety of programs that promote life skills and self reliance to young people between the ages of 9-24. Their mission is to research, develop, implement and advocate for programs that utilize the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and personal responsibility.
The WAGE Project (We Are Girl Entrepreneurs) awakens girls to the possibility of entrepreneurship and the reward of financial responsibility. ‘YOUR LIFE IS YOUR BUSINESS’ is a year round program that focuses on self awareness, Entrepreneurship, Financial literacy and community cultures. ‘I CAN BE MY OWN BOSS’, a signature series that assist young people with business plans, financing and advice on how to launch and grow a business. ‘YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR WORKSHOPS’ are workshops that teach young people how hobbies and skills can be used to target a career or start a business. ‘TEACH ME SOME CENTS’ focuses on financial workshops dedicated to savings, credit and smart consumerism. ‘CAMP G.O.A.L.S.’ is a week long program which focuses on Greatness, Opportunity wise, Achievement, Leadership and Success. It includes hands on informational sessions in the morning with fun and educational field trips to business in the afternoon where professionals share their leadership skills, successes, and struggles in various fields of business. ‘BUSINESS CONSULTATION’, assist schools, agencies and churches in developing entrepreneurship, pre-employment and financial literacy programs. ‘COACHING’ provides 9-24 years olds with personal and business listening sessions and advice.
CTE was founded in 1991. Over the past eighteen years, 11,000 young people have participated in CTE workshops. Forty-nine businesses have been developed that stayed in operation for five or more years. Entrepreneur programs were established at Washington High School and the Milwaukee Education Center. CTE served on the planning team to create the Milwaukee School of Entrepreneurship and the Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee. CTE has provided over 155 internal and external internships and has received local and national recognition. One hundred percent of CTE program participants’ complete high school. Eightythree percent are employed and eighty percent go on to pursue higher education with sixty to eighty-five percent scholarships. For more information on CTE, visit the website at www.ceoofme.biz or call (414) 263-1833 to share your fund raising and program ideas. “We Thank you for your support and belief in CTE’s mission”, said Ms. Rodgers.