i.c.stars to Pay Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Celebrate Achievements
Chicago, IL (January 13, 2009) — i.c.stars, a Chicago-based not-for-profit devoted to helping adults with high school degrees obtain local technology jobs, is preparing to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the achievements of its interns, alumni, staff, board, employers, volunteers and sponsors at Stakeholders 2009. The annual fundraising celebration will be held on Monday, January 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Bin 36 in Chicago. The event is being sponsored by Insight.
Stakeholders 2009 will “Connect the Future” by bringing together current and past shining stars of Chicago’s technology industry with some of its newest and brightest lights. Robert Runcie, CIO for Chicago’s Board of Education is this year’s keynote speaker. Additionally, Oba William King, known as the “Poetic Storyteller” and founder of JUSTUSarts, along with i.c.stars alumni Mohammed Rafathullah, Chad Williams and Johnny Ruiz will host insightful and dynamic sessions on education, community development and individual responsibility as change agents.
“We are ten years old and celebrating a tremendous moment in our history,” said i.c.stars President and Co-founder Sandee Kastrul. “We have experience and depth in our network and today we are focused on tapping the depth and connecting our alumni of volunteers, community partners, interns, employers and funders with our current active team so that we will continue to successfully scale to achieve our ultimate vision of 1,000 Community Leaders by 2020.”
Tickets for the festive event are $60. All i.c.stars sponsors and media are welcome to attend at no charge. Families are invited and children also are free. Interactive activities including a course on creativity presented by the children of Stakeholders will close the day. Food and beverages will be provided.
To register for Stakeholders 2009, please visit
www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=685615.
Sponsors are asked to register at http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=685615&RegTypeID=132447.
More than 150 members of the i.c.stars network attended last year’s Stakeholder event and Kastrul hopes to see that number increase this year as proceeds will fund the i.c.stars training program to help achieve the mission of developing 1,000 Community Leaders by 2020.
About i.c.stars
Formed in 1999, i.c.stars is a non-profit organization in Chicago for adults with a high school diploma or GED. Using project-based learning and full-immersion teaching, i.c.stars provides opportunities to develop skills in business and technology. i.c.stars’ goal is to develop 1,000 Community Leaders by 2020.
i.c.stars places 100 percent of its qualified graduates in jobs with average annual earnings of $35,700. Before completing the program, participants typically earn around $16,600. In 2006, i.c.stars partnered with DePaul University to ensure that all i.c.stars alumni are admitted to the CTI and SNL Bachelors of Science program. Learn more on the Web at www.icstars.org.
i.c.stars places 100 percent of its qualified graduates in jobs with average annual earnings of $35,700. Before completing the program, participants typically earn around $16,600. In 2006, i.c.stars partnered with DePaul University to ensure that all i.c.stars alumni are admitted to the CTI and SNL Bachelors of Science program. Learn more on the Web at www.icstars.org.
