King's Unfinished Agenda: PUSH Excel to celebrate 25th Anniversary of MLK Annual Scholarship Breakfast

CHICAGO -- PUSH for Excellence, Inc. (PUSH Excel) announces its 25th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast being held on January 19, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Themed "King's Unfinished Agenda" this year's event continues Dr. King's commitment to empowering young peopled through academic readiness, strength of character, and corporate financial support.

Co-Chaired by Walgreens' John Gremer, Northern Trust's Lyle Logan, and Nielsen's Cheryl Pearson- McNeil, this year's celebration aims to raise over $600,000 to fund the program's five named scholarships including the Jesse Jackson Fellows, GM Scholars, Ora Lee Sanders, Cirilo McSween, and Presidential Choice Awards. With the help of corporate sponsors like the McDonald's Corporation and the Shell Oil Company, PUSH Excel has awarded over $5 million in scholarships to over 1000 high school graduates.

In addition to the annual breakfast PUSH Excel offers life altering academic experiences to many underserved students including the annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Tour, the Parent-Student-Teacher Engagement Initiative, Excel STEM, and its financial literacy program in partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago's Department of Economics

Opening with an invocation from Pastor John F. Hannah of the New Life Covenant Church, the event will include A Historic Conversation moderated by NPR reporter Natalie Moore. Participating in the discussion will be Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. and honoree Dr. Walter Massey. A former president of Morehouse College (Dr. King's alma mater) Massey is a prolific physicist who currently serves as President for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His distinguished resume includes terms with Brown University and the University of California. Massey also served as head of the National Science Foundation, a position for which he was appointed by then President George H. W. Bush.

Throughout his academic career, Dr. Massey has been an advocate for issues surrounding minority students and education. He developed and directed the Inner City Teachers of Science Program while at Brown University, where college students studying education became tutors and mentors in urban classrooms. He was also a founding trustee of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.

Also being honored this year is Vice President of Global Diversity & Inclusion for Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Tyronne Stoudemire. In his role at Hyatt, Stoudemire collaborates with senior leadership to implement culture, talent, and marketplace strategies that leverage diversity and inclusion. His team, along with internal corporate stakeholders, implements diversity initiatives that include resource groups and mentoring programs for high potential women and people of color. He is a featured, "Top Achiever" in FraserNet's 2007-2008 Success Guide Worldwide and has been featured in "Who's Who in Black Chicago".

PUSH Excel was founded by the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in 1975 to promote academic excellence by engaging stakeholders in education to work collaboratively to create opportunities, transform the lives of students and improve communities. The program has received U.S. Department of Education recognition for inspiring minority students to move beyond their circumstances of poverty, violence, and inadequate educational resources to achieve excellence through education and positive community involvement.

This school year is more critical than ever due to the record number of public school closings and drastic cuts to educational funding at the state and federal levels. As a result of these closings and cuts, many public and private colleges in America have been faced with declining student enrollment and decreased financial aid, causing these institutions to increase tuition and other student expenses.

"If we don't deal with the present, we won't have a future," said Rev. Dr. Janette C. Wilson, PUSH Excel's National Education Director. "Our children should continue to learn even on the weekend," Wilson said. "These resources will allow us to have classes on Saturdays to provide STEM programs for children who are not being taught science and engineering in schools."

PUSH Excel seeks to partner with corporate sponsors who share the common goal of preparing the future of America's workforce by supporting equal academic opportunities for all students.

For more information on this year's events as well as partnership opportunities, contact Rev. Dr. Janette C. Wilson, Esq., National Education Director at 773-256-2731, or via email at revjwilson@rainbowpush.org.