Want to know about one of the nation's best programs empowering Black Girls? I speak to Cheryl Wadlington, Founder of Evoluer House which is opening registration for its award winning Program. https://www.evoluerhouse.org/
Much of the rest of the show is about economic empowerment. Stephanie Kosta, VP of Government Affairs for Comcast’s Freedom Region tells us about the Comcast Rise Program which provides resources and support for small businesses in the form of grants, marketing services, media campaigns, and technology upgrades to help these businesses grow and thrive. It was designed to address the disparities faced by minority-owned businesses, particularly in the face of challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic but is now open to all small businesses. Application is open now until June 30th.
www.ComcastRISE.com
Operation Ten City is a faith based economic empowerment campaign coming to Philadelphia Friday, June 9th through Saturday, June 10th, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center | Terrace Ballroom, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (Broad Street Atrium Entrance). The campaign brings economic restoration and prosperity to ten cities of our nation, including Philadelphia, and to close the wealth gap in black and brown communities through entrepreneurship and ownership. I speak to Ray Barnard – Lead Pastor, Impact Church Live! and Dr. Deloris Thomas – President of Joseph Business School about the campaign. All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.
www.OperationTenCity.com
IG: Operation Ten City
I speak to Dr. John E. Harmon, Sr., Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ.) Serving more than 800 active members, the AACCNJ has become a central beacon for minority and non-minority advocacy building, community and government relations, business development, job retention, and education attainment. https://www.aaccnj.com.
Much of the rest of the show is about economic empowerment. Stephanie Kosta, VP of Government Affairs for Comcast’s Freedom Region tells us about the Comcast Rise Program which provides resources and support for small businesses in the form of grants, marketing services, media campaigns, and technology upgrades to help these businesses grow and thrive. It was designed to address the disparities faced by minority-owned businesses, particularly in the face of challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic but is now open to all small businesses. Application is open now until June 30th.
www.ComcastRISE.com
Operation Ten City is a faith based economic empowerment campaign coming to Philadelphia Friday, June 9th through Saturday, June 10th, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center | Terrace Ballroom, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (Broad Street Atrium Entrance). The campaign brings economic restoration and prosperity to ten cities of our nation, including Philadelphia, and to close the wealth gap in black and brown communities through entrepreneurship and ownership. I speak to Ray Barnard – Lead Pastor, Impact Church Live! and Dr. Deloris Thomas – President of Joseph Business School about the campaign. All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.
www.OperationTenCity.com
IG: Operation Ten City
I speak to Dr. John E. Harmon, Sr., Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ.) Serving more than 800 active members, the AACCNJ has become a central beacon for minority and non-minority advocacy building, community and government relations, business development, job retention, and education attainment. https://www.aaccnj.com.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering our community,
and Lorraine Ballot moral want to knowabout one of the nation's best programs for
uplifting black girls. We'll be talkingwith the founder of Avalora House. Much
of the rest of the show isabout economic empowerment, including Comcast Rise,
which provides capital and resources for smallbusinesses, Operation ten City, a faith
(00:23):
based economic empowerment program. We startwith an organization that supports black businesses in
New Jersey. The African American Chamberof Commerce of New Jersey serves more than
eight hundred active members and has becomea central beacon for minority and non minority
advocacy, building, community and governmentrelations, business development, job retention,
(00:46):
and educational attainment. To tell usmore is John E. Harman, Senior.
He's founder and president and chief executiveofficer for the African American Chamber of
Commerce of New Jersey. Thank youso much for joining us here today.
Small businesses, the challenges are verygreat. Tell us more about how you
(01:06):
help black businesses in the region.It all starts with an acknowledgement that black
businesses exist in this regional economy,that black people contributed to the greatness of
America, and I think that getslost. So the Chamber serves as an
advocate for those businesses on policy issues, a convener on topics of discussions,
(01:32):
connecting them to resources, opportunities,and information that will ultimately contribute to their
success. So resources come from corporations. Corporations provide contract opportunities, they provide
employment opportunities. They also provide corporatecitizenship investment, and so we work with
(01:53):
corporations and government agencies to leverage whatI just describe to have a mutually an
official relationship with members that invest inthe Chamber, and this is our way
of getting them a return on thatinvestment. There are so many challenges for
any business getting started, especially smallbusinesses, and oftentimes small businesses don't know
(02:15):
what they don't know, and sothat's where I'm sure the Chamber gets involved.
Tell us, what are some ofthe resources that you do provide four
black businesses. So we have ahost of resources, and I think that's
a phenomenal question. We have betweenthirty five and forty financial services institutions,
and also in addition to that,we have Michael lenders. So accessing capital
(02:38):
is something that we do all thetime. Technical assistance is something that we
do all the time, but alsowe have a very robust series of webinars
where we showcase members and also provideeducation form. We have two television shows
that we also provide a platform forour members to participate. We have a
(03:00):
weekly radio show called the Empowerment Hour, another opportunity where we can give a
member a chance to come on andtalk about their product of service. The
Chamber also has its own training anddevelopment institute where we really work on workforce
issues as it relates to entrepreneurship forextra offenders, job placement for extra offenders.
(03:23):
We have what we call a mobileAcademy. We have two vehicles that
we go throughout the state of NewJersey and bringing a programming curbside, whether
it be financial literacy, whether itbe job readiness training, whether it be
a host of kind of customize activities. We have nineteen people that work here
(03:44):
full time. Of that maybe oneor two part time, but nineteen people,
so that is a huge resource thatwe leverage to engage our members.
I have a monthly direct conversation withmembers and whoever it comes along the Zoom,
who are a quarterly meeting with members, and that's free to the public,
(04:05):
and they too get a chance topresent products and services to those in
attendants. The name a few.When we look at the history of this
country, we know that there's institutionalracism that has existed since the founding of
this country and that still continues tobe a barrier for many businesses. And
(04:28):
as you talk about, you implythere is an effort by the Chamber to
connect black businesses with capital, whichhas always been a real challenges for many
black businesses who are not able toaccess the kind of capital that is necessary
in order to succeed. And Iwonder if we can talk more about some
(04:49):
of the obstacles that black businesses havein the past experienced and what the Chamber
is doing to help overcome that institutionalracism that has been such a barrier to
so many businesses. No, Ithink that's a great question. Let me
just add one other thing and I'llgo right to that question. We are
(05:09):
the only accredited Chamber of Commerce inNew Jersey. There's one hundred and forty
one chambers. We are the onlyaccredited with the US Chamber of Commerce.
So that makes us best in classin the Chamber of Space, and I
believe, and this is subjective edification, we may be the only accredited Black
chamber in the country with the USChamber, But you know, following the
(05:31):
murder of George Floyd, we tooka strong position on really getting society,
particularly in New Jersey, to understandthe value of black people. I would
submit to you I believe George Floydwas murdered because his life was not valued,
and so that led to conversations withfinancial institutions. Because this was also
(05:55):
around the time the PPP resources cameto market in many bands, we're not
allowing black customers to take advantage ofthat resource. So we took a hard
line on that. We got agreat response from financial institutions, a New
Jersey Bankers Association, and that ledto immediately twenty five financial institutions joining the
(06:16):
Chamber, and we've been working withthem every since and access to capital programs,
homeownership, We've been working with themon sponsorship of events and financial literacy.
So to your point, I thinkone of the things that we are
recognized for New Jersey is being credible, being unapologetic about the worth, the
(06:38):
value, the prominence, the relevanceof black people and that they should share
equitably in the economy and every publicdollar that's expended in the state, because
it's taxpayer dollars. In any initiativefrom the private sector, because we have
such a large consumer spin, we'reimpacting their bottom line as well, So
(06:59):
there should piece of reciprocity. Sowe're talking about it all the time with
the governor, with our county officials, what our black mayors, who too
have to do a better job inserving their own people. You make such
an important and powerful point. Andwhen we talk about the economy of this
country, we know that a largepart of it is generated by small businesses,
(07:23):
and then small businesses have so manychallenges to begin with. In black
businesses, you have to add thatextra additional layer. But as you mentioned,
there are certainly new opportunities that haveopened up as a result of some
of the advances that have made sinceGeorge Floyd's murder. And we also see
(07:46):
that government and various city, state, and national institutions are looking to reach
out to black businesses. And I'msure that's one other area that you're very
strong in, and that is connectingwith those entities. With the RFPs and
things that they need to know aboutin order to access. There is a
(08:09):
wealth of opportunity out there, isn'tthere. No, Yeah, absolutely right
in regards to RPS and other opportunities. We distribute that information daily as from
a county, from a municipal,from a state and federal perspective. You're
right. We're always trying to feedinformation to our members and investors. It's
(08:31):
all about retail and investment. Butmore importantly, I think businesses have to
invest in their own self to connectwith the Chamber of Commerce as a resource.
This is an extension of your organization. We serve as a marketing tool
or business development tool, and soif we can spend money on socialized activities,
(08:52):
we also must find a way toinvest in our business. And partnering
with the African American Chamber of Commercein New Jersey is investment. But moreover,
people are coming to us because theyfind that we're credible, we're trusted
voice, and so that too makesus a clearinghouse for these relationships. I'm
excited. I come to work everyday, look and make a difference and
(09:16):
encourage black businesses because we successes inour DNA. We know that the African
American Chamber of Commerce of New Jerseyis not only a resource but an advocate
for black businesses. For those outthere who are listening and who would like
to tap into the many resources thatyou present, how do they do that?
A couple of ways. We're onall social media platforms, but AACCNJA,
(09:41):
dot com or six O nine fiveseven one one six two zero.
We would encourage them to give usan opportunity to contribute to their success.
John E. Harmon, Senior,Founder, president and chief executive Officer for
the African American Chamber of Commerce ofNew Jersey. Thank you so much for
joining us today. Thank you forthe opportunity. Comcast Rises opening up its
(10:11):
program to assist not only BIPOC businessesbut all small businesses, and we're going
to provide you with information on howyou can connect with all of this.
We're speaking with Stephanie Costa, VPof Government Affairs for Comcast Freedom Region.
Thank you so much for joining us, and as Stephanie tell us more about
(10:31):
Comcast Rise, I just love thisprogram. It is the third year we've
had it in Philadelphia area and itreally does make a big impact on small
businesses. Just a little background Riseis a community outreach program that was created
back in November twenty twenty to helpsmall businesses hardest hit by COVID nineteen,
from bakeries to barbershops to childcare centers, by providing grants that they may have
(10:56):
needed to survive and recover. Nowwe're in our third year, we've gone
through a little bit of a renovation, so the program now is open to
all small businesses a hundred employees orless that have been in business for three
years or more that are located withinPhiladelphia. We would love to be able
(11:16):
to give to those small businesses ourRise Investment grants, and that's a five
thousand dollars grant. But there's evenmore. There's wraparounds services including consultation,
business consultation, education resources, andcreative production and media resources, which includes
a turnkey production of a thirty secondTV commercial and a technology makeover. We
(11:39):
are Comcast, so technology makeover rightup our alley, which is computer equipment
and internet, voice and cybersecurity servicesfor twelve months. So it's that five
thousand dollar crant plus all of theseservices really a way to help our small
businesses continue developing in their communities andcontributing all to the great economy we have
(12:01):
here in Philadelphia. That's fantastic,and it's so important to support small businesses
and particularly bipoc businesses because of thechallenges that have existed for these businesses in
the past. But you're opening itup, which is awesome to all small
businesses. Now, let's talk alittle bit about these grants, because sometimes
grants have certain limitations, but itseems like there's a lot of leeway in
(12:26):
terms of where these grants can beapplied. So tell us more about that.
So the grants themselves, that fivethousand dollar component, it's really unrestricted.
Comcasts really didn't want to constrict oursmall businesses from what they really need.
One small business might need a newside, another small business might need
to hire a part time employee,you know, and a third small business
might need help with inventory. Whatever. Really the small business needs to thrive.
(12:52):
We wanted to be able to providethat grant to give them that freedom
to figure out what their business needed, you know. And then knowing that
above and beyond that, small businessesreally need a lot of help in all
these other areas areas where Comcasts couldbe helpful with these consultation services and education
resources and the creative production of mediaand technology makeovers. To add that in
(13:16):
with a five thousand dollars grant,and you really are going to set a
wonderful foundation for those small businesses torocket into the future. I love the
idea about the marketing services. Somany small businesses are really stretched and don't
necessarily have the bandwidth to do thosetypes of marketing which are so important to
(13:37):
let people know where they are andwho they are. So to have that
is just really tremendous. Now forthose out there who are listening and who
would love to take advantage of allof these incredible services, what are some
of the steps they need to take? Easiest ray way is to go to
our website comcast Rise dot com.It's from now until June thirtieth is the
(13:58):
application period, and then we willmake the announcements in August, and then
the award is happening in September.Because we know small businesses when they need
the help, they need the helpright now, so it's all very quick.
And remember now until June thirtieth,that's when the application is open at
www dot comcast Rise dot com.And you've had such tremendous success in supporting
(14:22):
these small businesses. That's true.You know. This program is in its
third year and we've been able tohelp a tremendous amount of small businesses.
It includes two hundred Philadelphia small businessesthat received over two million dollars in grant
awards and nearly four hundred that havereceived marketing and technology and service packages.
And nationwide we've touched over thirteen thousandsmall businesses that have been awarded monetary,
(14:48):
marketing or technology grants. It reallyis an excellent program. We have it
here in Philly once again. FantasticAnd what is the website www dot comcast
Rise dot com. Fantastic. Whata great opportunity. Stephanie Costa, vice
president of Government Affairs for Comcast FreedomRegion, thank you so much. Thank
(15:09):
you. We are always searching forsolutions to making our communities better, safer,
more productive, more economically vibrant.Operation ten City is a program a
(15:30):
ten city initiative to inspire faith basedcommunities to activate hid potential and pursue the
fullness of God's calling for their lives. Businesses and organizations. Operation ten Cities
coming to Philly and to tell usall about it is Ray Barnard, who
is lead pastor for Impact Church Live, and doctor Dolores Thomas, president of
Joseph Business School. Well, thankyou both for joining us here today and
(15:52):
let's get right to it. Whatis ten City? Tell us about the
good one of the rain. DoctorThomas and I have been We've had great
fortune to be in relationship with thiswonderful operation Ten Cities organization that's spearheaded by
doctor Bill Winson out of Living WordChristians Center in Chicago, Illinois. It
is a an initiative that's really forgedby doctor Winston based upon scripture that really
(16:17):
gave him a heart to really beable to impact people's lives from an economic
base, holistic, the whole man. And so it's really an initiative I
think he's really grasped fully based uponthe Word of God, a scripture found
in Luke saying that you've been faithfulover you've been faithful for a few things,
I'll make you ruler over ten cities. And when he saw that,
(16:41):
something pricked in his heart and hesaid, you know what, we need
to go to the ten largest citiesin America. And Philadelphia is the fifth
city on the list. We happento be the poorest, the poorest big
city in America. Yes, andso when I found that statistic out,
I'm saying, Doc, you haveto come to our city. And so
when the opportunity came, we wantto be a part of it. And
(17:03):
so doctor Thomas is here to reallykind of tell us all that's really transpiring
with this initiative that she's been apart of her since the very outset.
Yeah, that's great, Doctor Thomas, break it down. What's going to
happen when TENN City comes to Philly. Yeah, well, it's important to
know that this is our fifth city. So we've done a couple of other
cities. We're excited about Philadelphia.So it's a two day event. Doctor
(17:26):
Winston comes in, brings the teamand also partners with local community vendors as
well as ministries and business leaders.And the goal is really to accelerate and
activate what's here and to let morepeople know what exists in the city.
Our goal really is to eradicate povertyand to close the wealth gap. And
(17:48):
that's from clothing giveaway, which we'lldo on Saturday, but the event starts
on Friday, and so those whowant to volunteer can help to prep with
the food giveaway and the clothes giveaway, which will happen on Saturday. It's
brand new clothes, designer clothing,not secondhand clothe that most people usually give
away. And for the food,it's food for a family of four that
(18:08):
could feed them for a week.And then on Friday we also will have
many other things that we'll do,but on Saturday we have the business component.
But before we get to Saturday,on Friday night and daytime, we
have something called the Youthpreneur, whichis really exciting because it's the end of
the school year and so kids arewondering, you know, if I don't
(18:29):
have a summer job, what canI do? While it's to help them
to figure out ways that they canbe productive the summer, maybe start a
business. And so that will bethe daytime and at night we'll have a
celebration for the kids, which isreally really fantastic. So on Saturday we
have two components. We have theexpungement, which we believe that people who
have a record they've already served theirtime. But sadly enough, even though
(18:52):
they have gotten out of prison andserve their time, some of them can't
find jobs because they still have arecord, So we partner with local attorneys
to help them start the process toexpunge that record so they can become more
productive members of society. We willalso have employers that are looking to hire
those with records. Our goal isto really empower those who have been justice
(19:12):
involved. And then we have foranyone, whether you're saved, whether you're
not, but you have a businessidea, We have a pitch competition and
we're going to give away money forthe winner. So we have ten thousand
for the first prize, five thousandfor the second prize, and twenty five
hundred for the third prize. Buthere's where it gets really fun. We
(19:33):
believe that we should empower the Bodyof Christ to promote entrepreneurship. And so
if those individuals who attend and getinvolved with the pitch competition wins and state
the church that they attend, thechurch will win double the prize. So
if you get ten thousand is thewinner, the church that you attend will
get twenty thousand. So we reallywant to encourage why because we know that
(19:56):
it's time for the church become evenmore active in their community, and a
lot of them suffered a lot duringthe pandemic, so we want to be
able to be a blessing to thechurch as well. That is fantastic.
Pastor Bernard, tell us more abouthow faith is really integral to this tensity
(20:17):
operation. And I know that it'sopen to anyone and everyone, but tell
us about the importance of faith asyou build it into this program. One
of the things that we recognize isthat most of the people who come to
our churches are people from the businesscommunity. They come from everyday life.
And we take the principles of theWord of God and we take it in
a spiritual context, and we gotto convert it to physical substance. In
(20:41):
otherwise, it's got to be practical. It's got to be something that you
can use every day. And sowe believe that God partners with those of
us in the marketplace practical skills,give us visions, ideas, concepts that
are designed by us to be ableto implement, and He comes alongside of
us in the invisible person that heis God, and He now touches it,
(21:03):
breathes on it, causes it tobe successful in a way that we
can never It can never happen ifwe just did it ourselves. And this
is a uniqueness about God, andthis is why he's taken this concept that's
really initiated by a preacher who basicallyis saying, listen, we're not coming
to give you a hand out.We're coming to give you a hand out.
We're literally now from a spiritual context, allowing people to discover the gifts
(21:30):
and talents that they already have insideof them. We're unlocking the genius inside
of every person. I love that. I love that extra level of just
a personal growth and spiritual growth thatempowers people through this program, Doctor Thomas.
This event is happening Friday, Juneninth through Saturday June tenth at the
Pennsylvania Convention Center. If people wouldlike to participate, how do they do
(21:53):
that? They could go directly toOperation tennes City and that's the number ten
ration tensity dot com and they couldregister and they will learn about all of
the activities that we've just mentioned,whether to volunteer or to actually participate,
whether it's a pitch, competitor oran exhibitor. So they could go to
Operation Tensity dot com and register.Fantastic, What a great opportunity and once
(22:18):
again. What is the website formore info Operations ten Cities dot com.
And I just want to say,Lauren before we go, I just want
to encourage all pastors. This issomething for all denominations, no matter where
you come from, whether you're Baptist, whether you're Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic.
It is really an all inclusive group. We are one big family.
(22:38):
We're all God's people. We reallywant to be able to provide an opportunity
to lift our city. We havea stake in this city and I think
it's time for us to make ourmark in the earth. Love that Pastor
Rate Barnard, who is lead pastorfor Impact Church Live, doctor Dolores Thomas,
president of Joseph Business School. Theyare here represent ending Operation ten City
(23:00):
coming to Philly and it's happening onJune ninth through Saturday, June tenth at
the PA Convention Center. Thank youboth for joining us today. Thank you
Loraine. There are many organizations outthere the target girls uplifting them and empowering
(23:22):
them, but very few as wonderfulas Evelour House, and we have its
founder and CEO joining us right now, Cheryl Waddlington Cheryl, always a pleasure
tell us about Evelor House. Yes, Hi, Loreen, how are you.
It's a pleasure to be here.Eveloor House is a nonprofit organization that
empowers and educates girls of color betweenthe eighties of thirteen and eighteen. We're
(23:45):
going on our twentieth anniversary next year. Could you believe it? Wow?
So we're excited about that. Sofar, we have, through our evidence
based programs, served more than threethousand girls. So we have over three
thousand girls who have gone on tocollege, many of them on full right
scholarships, and they're coming out ofcollege step free, and we're here to
(24:08):
talk about that. Our registration isopen and we're recruiting more girls for this
summer's series. And we're very excitedbecause we've gone national now, so we're
a nationwide program and we had ourfirst international student last year from Liberia,
Africa. The pandemic has caused usto pivot, but it has also illuminated
something really great where we've gone nationaland we have girls from as far as
(24:32):
Georgia to Ohio to Arizona, andso we're happy. That is fantastic.
Well, we do know that,as you mentioned it's evidence based program that
is absolutely using best practices to helpuplift girls, particularly girls of color.
And I wonder if you can giveus a brief idea of what they can
expect when they join this program.It's a nine week program and they're going
(24:53):
to have over twenty five in itsvirtual I don't know if I've mentioned that
this is for well They're going tohave over twenty five engaging topics like going
to college, their college prep,we call it going to college like a
Savage, another session called Stacking theBenjamin's, which is financial literacy. They're
(25:14):
going to have another segment called HealthyGirls Summer that deals with health and wellness,
resume writing, just a whole hostof different classes. And I can
tell you that we put a bigemphasis on wellness because we do know that
suicide among black team girls have goneup one hundred and eighty two percent.
We also know that the mental healthof young girls. Experts are starting to
(25:37):
see that their brains are not developingproperly due to a lot of the violence
that they're seeing in videos, particularlyvideos of police officers killing black men.
So that is doing something to ourgirls and their development. We're not just
here because we want to do aprogram for girls. We're here because we
need to be here to help saveand to raise how full young girls of
(26:00):
color. Well, this program hasbeen acknowledged by the White House by Loreal
you are one of the big winnersof their international program that highlights wonderful nonprofits
doing great work. And so weknow that there's a great success story with
evel Or House. And the girlswho are going through this program do go
on to great, great things.You have a very good graduation rate,
(26:25):
don't you. Among the girls whoare in the program and have graduated from
the program, they go on tohigher education and very very excellent numbers.
We're just actually surprised at the miraclesI call them that we see. We
have one girl who had an unfortunatebackground, but yet we stuck in her
life. Five years later, shemade it to law school. We have
another girl who was shoveled through thefoster care system. Well, she was
(26:48):
accepted to one of the top schoolsin the country and she got a quarter
million dollars in scholarships, so she'scoming out debt free. And then we
had another student who was having problemsat Villa Neewuniverse Villanova University with being a
black woman on canspus. So insteadof dropping out, which is what a
lot of black girls do, shedecided to hold conversations with her white peers
(27:11):
to let them know what it's likebeing a black woman attending a white university.
And she was able to not onlygraduate with a degree in International studies,
but to also be a full Brightscholar. So yeah, so they're
not just reaching ordinary levels, they'rereaching extraordinary levels. And that's what we
do. Hear. At Evelore House, we maintain we set the standard high,
(27:33):
and we also say to our instructors, who are all educators at the
master's degree level, we say,do not rob a girl of an opportunity
to be great. While this programis free, but it is something that's
first come, first served, sotell us all the details. How do
people sign up? So in orderto register, they just have to go
to our website at evelore House dotorg so it's spelled e vo lu e
(28:00):
orhouse dot org to register. Allthe application and everything that you need more
information is right there online and wehave a few spots available. We have
scholarships available. Like you said,Lorene, and we're just looking forward to
having another exciting summer. Is thereany final word that you have to share
with us before we close? Ijust want all of the young girls out
(28:21):
there to know that you have dreamsjust like I did, and so we
want you to chase your dreams.And we're presenting an environment that is safe,
where you can feel loved, andthat you're going to have a lot
of and meet a lot of sisterfriends. So if you're worried about,
okay, where can I go totry to be my best, come to
evel Or House. Our girls comeour gold. I hate to brag,
but they do. They do.I've seen it. It is absolutely one
(28:45):
of the most successful programs uplifting blackgirls, girls of color. Evelor House.
Cheryl Wadlington, founder and CEO ofthis extraordinary nonprofit, thank you so
much. Thank you, Loraine.Cheryl Wadlington, the under and executive director
of the Evelore House, which isa nonprofit organization that empowers and educates girls
(29:07):
between the ages of thirteen and nineteenyears old. And you have tremendous success
with uplifting these girls. How dopeople sign up? And when is the
deadline? And when does this allhappen Sure. It is the program our
award winning White House recognized program HolisticMe Virtual Workshop Summer Series, and they
(29:30):
can register online on our website atevlorehouse dot org. Evlore is spelled e
Vo lu Er. The program runsfrom June twenty sixth to August twenty fifth.
Space is very limited. It's freebut those who qualify, so we're
(29:52):
looking for girls to well parents tosign up their daughters ASA right away to
take advantage of this life changing opportunity. Fantastic recording stopped. Okay. You
can listen to all of today's interviewsby going to our station website and typing
in keyword Community. You can alsolisten on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
(30:15):
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitterand Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine
Ballard Morrow and I stand for serviceto our community and media that empowers.
What will you stand for? You'vebeen listening to Insight and thank you
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering our community,
and Lorraine Ballot moral want to knowabout one of the nation's best programs for
uplifting black girls. We'll be talkingwith the founder of Avalora House. Much
of the rest of the show isabout economic empowerment, including Comcast Rise,
which provides capital and resources for smallbusinesses, Operation ten City, a faith
(00:23):
based economic empowerment program. We startwith an organization that supports black businesses in
New Jersey. The African American Chamberof Commerce of New Jersey serves more than
eight hundred active members and has becomea central beacon for minority and non minority
advocacy, building, community and governmentrelations, business development, job retention,
(00:46):
and educational attainment. To tell usmore is John E. Harman, Senior.
He's founder and president and chief executiveofficer for the African American Chamber of
Commerce of New Jersey. Thank youso much for joining us here today.
Small businesses, the challenges are verygreat. Tell us more about how you
(01:06):
help black businesses in the region.It all starts with an acknowledgement that black
businesses exist in this regional economy,that black people contributed to the greatness of
America, and I think that getslost. So the Chamber serves as an
advocate for those businesses on policy issues, a convener on topics of discussions,
(01:32):
connecting them to resources, opportunities,and information that will ultimately contribute to their
success. So resources come from corporations. Corporations provide contract opportunities, they provide
employment opportunities. They also provide corporatecitizenship investment, and so we work with
(01:53):
corporations and government agencies to leverage whatI just describe to have a mutually an
official relationship with members that invest inthe Chamber, and this is our way
of getting them a return on thatinvestment. There are so many challenges for
any business getting started, especially smallbusinesses, and oftentimes small businesses don't know
(02:15):
what they don't know, and sothat's where I'm sure the Chamber gets involved.
Tell us, what are some ofthe resources that you do provide four
black businesses. So we have ahost of resources, and I think that's
a phenomenal question. We have betweenthirty five and forty financial services institutions,
and also in addition to that,we have Michael lenders. So accessing capital
(02:38):
is something that we do all thetime. Technical assistance is something that we
do all the time, but alsowe have a very robust series of webinars
where we showcase members and also provideeducation form. We have two television shows
that we also provide a platform forour members to participate. We have a
(03:00):
weekly radio show called the Empowerment Hour, another opportunity where we can give a
member a chance to come on andtalk about their product of service. The
Chamber also has its own training anddevelopment institute where we really work on workforce
issues as it relates to entrepreneurship forextra offenders, job placement for extra offenders.
(03:23):
We have what we call a mobileAcademy. We have two vehicles that
we go throughout the state of NewJersey and bringing a programming curbside, whether
it be financial literacy, whether itbe job readiness training, whether it be
a host of kind of customize activities. We have nineteen people that work here
(03:44):
full time. Of that maybe oneor two part time, but nineteen people,
so that is a huge resource thatwe leverage to engage our members.
I have a monthly direct conversation withmembers and whoever it comes along the Zoom,
who are a quarterly meeting with members, and that's free to the public,
(04:05):
and they too get a chance topresent products and services to those in
attendants. The name a few.When we look at the history of this
country, we know that there's institutionalracism that has existed since the founding of
this country and that still continues tobe a barrier for many businesses. And
(04:28):
as you talk about, you implythere is an effort by the Chamber to
connect black businesses with capital, whichhas always been a real challenges for many
black businesses who are not able toaccess the kind of capital that is necessary
in order to succeed. And Iwonder if we can talk more about some
(04:49):
of the obstacles that black businesses havein the past experienced and what the Chamber
is doing to help overcome that institutionalracism that has been such a barrier to
so many businesses. No, Ithink that's a great question. Let me
just add one other thing and I'llgo right to that question. We are
(05:09):
the only accredited Chamber of Commerce inNew Jersey. There's one hundred and forty
one chambers. We are the onlyaccredited with the US Chamber of Commerce.
So that makes us best in classin the Chamber of Space, and I
believe, and this is subjective edification, we may be the only accredited Black
chamber in the country with the USChamber, But you know, following the
(05:31):
murder of George Floyd, we tooka strong position on really getting society,
particularly in New Jersey, to understandthe value of black people. I would
submit to you I believe George Floydwas murdered because his life was not valued,
and so that led to conversations withfinancial institutions. Because this was also
(05:55):
around the time the PPP resources cameto market in many bands, we're not
allowing black customers to take advantage ofthat resource. So we took a hard
line on that. We got agreat response from financial institutions, a New
Jersey Bankers Association, and that ledto immediately twenty five financial institutions joining the
(06:16):
Chamber, and we've been working withthem every since and access to capital programs,
homeownership, We've been working with themon sponsorship of events and financial literacy.
So to your point, I thinkone of the things that we are
recognized for New Jersey is being credible, being unapologetic about the worth, the
(06:38):
value, the prominence, the relevanceof black people and that they should share
equitably in the economy and every publicdollar that's expended in the state, because
it's taxpayer dollars. In any initiativefrom the private sector, because we have
such a large consumer spin, we'reimpacting their bottom line as well, So
(06:59):
there should piece of reciprocity. Sowe're talking about it all the time with
the governor, with our county officials, what our black mayors, who too
have to do a better job inserving their own people. You make such
an important and powerful point. Andwhen we talk about the economy of this
country, we know that a largepart of it is generated by small businesses,
(07:23):
and then small businesses have so manychallenges to begin with. In black
businesses, you have to add thatextra additional layer. But as you mentioned,
there are certainly new opportunities that haveopened up as a result of some
of the advances that have made sinceGeorge Floyd's murder. And we also see
(07:46):
that government and various city, state, and national institutions are looking to reach
out to black businesses. And I'msure that's one other area that you're very
strong in, and that is connectingwith those entities. With the RFPs and
things that they need to know aboutin order to access. There is a
(08:09):
wealth of opportunity out there, isn'tthere. No, Yeah, absolutely right
in regards to RPS and other opportunities. We distribute that information daily as from
a county, from a municipal,from a state and federal perspective. You're
right. We're always trying to feedinformation to our members and investors. It's
(08:31):
all about retail and investment. Butmore importantly, I think businesses have to
invest in their own self to connectwith the Chamber of Commerce as a resource.
This is an extension of your organization. We serve as a marketing tool
or business development tool, and soif we can spend money on socialized activities,
(08:52):
we also must find a way toinvest in our business. And partnering
with the African American Chamber of Commercein New Jersey is investment. But moreover,
people are coming to us because theyfind that we're credible, we're trusted
voice, and so that too makesus a clearinghouse for these relationships. I'm
excited. I come to work everyday, look and make a difference and
(09:16):
encourage black businesses because we successes inour DNA. We know that the African
American Chamber of Commerce of New Jerseyis not only a resource but an advocate
for black businesses. For those outthere who are listening and who would like
to tap into the many resources thatyou present, how do they do that?
A couple of ways. We're onall social media platforms, but AACCNJA,
(09:41):
dot com or six O nine fiveseven one one six two zero.
We would encourage them to give usan opportunity to contribute to their success.
John E. Harmon, Senior,Founder, president and chief executive Officer for
the African American Chamber of Commerce ofNew Jersey. Thank you so much for
joining us today. Thank you forthe opportunity. Comcast Rises opening up its
(10:11):
program to assist not only BIPOC businessesbut all small businesses, and we're going
to provide you with information on howyou can connect with all of this.
We're speaking with Stephanie Costa, VPof Government Affairs for Comcast Freedom Region.
Thank you so much for joining us, and as Stephanie tell us more about
(10:31):
Comcast Rise, I just love thisprogram. It is the third year we've
had it in Philadelphia area and itreally does make a big impact on small
businesses. Just a little background Riseis a community outreach program that was created
back in November twenty twenty to helpsmall businesses hardest hit by COVID nineteen,
from bakeries to barbershops to childcare centers, by providing grants that they may have
(10:56):
needed to survive and recover. Nowwe're in our third year, we've gone
through a little bit of a renovation, so the program now is open to
all small businesses a hundred employees orless that have been in business for three
years or more that are located withinPhiladelphia. We would love to be able
(11:16):
to give to those small businesses ourRise Investment grants, and that's a five
thousand dollars grant. But there's evenmore. There's wraparounds services including consultation,
business consultation, education resources, andcreative production and media resources, which includes
a turnkey production of a thirty secondTV commercial and a technology makeover. We
(11:39):
are Comcast, so technology makeover rightup our alley, which is computer equipment
and internet, voice and cybersecurity servicesfor twelve months. So it's that five
thousand dollar crant plus all of theseservices really a way to help our small
businesses continue developing in their communities andcontributing all to the great economy we have
(12:01):
here in Philadelphia. That's fantastic,and it's so important to support small businesses
and particularly bipoc businesses because of thechallenges that have existed for these businesses in
the past. But you're opening itup, which is awesome to all small
businesses. Now, let's talk alittle bit about these grants, because sometimes
grants have certain limitations, but itseems like there's a lot of leeway in
(12:26):
terms of where these grants can beapplied. So tell us more about that.
So the grants themselves, that fivethousand dollar component, it's really unrestricted.
Comcasts really didn't want to constrict oursmall businesses from what they really need.
One small business might need a newside, another small business might need
to hire a part time employee,you know, and a third small business
might need help with inventory. Whatever. Really the small business needs to thrive.
(12:52):
We wanted to be able to providethat grant to give them that freedom
to figure out what their business needed, you know. And then knowing that
above and beyond that, small businessesreally need a lot of help in all
these other areas areas where Comcasts couldbe helpful with these consultation services and education
resources and the creative production of mediaand technology makeovers. To add that in
(13:16):
with a five thousand dollars grant,and you really are going to set a
wonderful foundation for those small businesses torocket into the future. I love the
idea about the marketing services. Somany small businesses are really stretched and don't
necessarily have the bandwidth to do thosetypes of marketing which are so important to
(13:37):
let people know where they are andwho they are. So to have that
is just really tremendous. Now forthose out there who are listening and who
would love to take advantage of allof these incredible services, what are some
of the steps they need to take? Easiest ray way is to go to
our website comcast Rise dot com.It's from now until June thirtieth is the
(13:58):
application period, and then we willmake the announcements in August, and then
the award is happening in September.Because we know small businesses when they need
the help, they need the helpright now, so it's all very quick.
And remember now until June thirtieth,that's when the application is open at
www dot comcast Rise dot com.And you've had such tremendous success in supporting
(14:22):
these small businesses. That's true.You know. This program is in its
third year and we've been able tohelp a tremendous amount of small businesses.
It includes two hundred Philadelphia small businessesthat received over two million dollars in grant
awards and nearly four hundred that havereceived marketing and technology and service packages.
And nationwide we've touched over thirteen thousandsmall businesses that have been awarded monetary,
(14:48):
marketing or technology grants. It reallyis an excellent program. We have it
here in Philly once again. FantasticAnd what is the website www dot comcast
Rise dot com. Fantastic. Whata great opportunity. Stephanie Costa, vice
president of Government Affairs for Comcast FreedomRegion, thank you so much. Thank
(15:09):
you. We are always searching forsolutions to making our communities better, safer,
more productive, more economically vibrant.Operation ten City is a program a
(15:30):
ten city initiative to inspire faith basedcommunities to activate hid potential and pursue the
fullness of God's calling for their lives. Businesses and organizations. Operation ten Cities
coming to Philly and to tell usall about it is Ray Barnard, who
is lead pastor for Impact Church Live, and doctor Dolores Thomas, president of
Joseph Business School. Well, thankyou both for joining us here today and
(15:52):
let's get right to it. Whatis ten City? Tell us about the
good one of the rain. DoctorThomas and I have been We've had great
fortune to be in relationship with thiswonderful operation Ten Cities organization that's spearheaded by
doctor Bill Winson out of Living WordChristians Center in Chicago, Illinois. It
is a an initiative that's really forgedby doctor Winston based upon scripture that really
(16:17):
gave him a heart to really beable to impact people's lives from an economic
base, holistic, the whole man. And so it's really an initiative I
think he's really grasped fully based uponthe Word of God, a scripture found
in Luke saying that you've been faithfulover you've been faithful for a few things,
I'll make you ruler over ten cities. And when he saw that,
(16:41):
something pricked in his heart and hesaid, you know what, we need
to go to the ten largest citiesin America. And Philadelphia is the fifth
city on the list. We happento be the poorest, the poorest big
city in America. Yes, andso when I found that statistic out,
I'm saying, Doc, you haveto come to our city. And so
when the opportunity came, we wantto be a part of it. And
(17:03):
so doctor Thomas is here to reallykind of tell us all that's really transpiring
with this initiative that she's been apart of her since the very outset.
Yeah, that's great, Doctor Thomas, break it down. What's going to
happen when TENN City comes to Philly. Yeah, well, it's important to
know that this is our fifth city. So we've done a couple of other
cities. We're excited about Philadelphia.So it's a two day event. Doctor
(17:26):
Winston comes in, brings the teamand also partners with local community vendors as
well as ministries and business leaders.And the goal is really to accelerate and
activate what's here and to let morepeople know what exists in the city.
Our goal really is to eradicate povertyand to close the wealth gap. And
(17:48):
that's from clothing giveaway, which we'lldo on Saturday, but the event starts
on Friday, and so those whowant to volunteer can help to prep with
the food giveaway and the clothes giveaway, which will happen on Saturday. It's
brand new clothes, designer clothing,not secondhand clothe that most people usually give
away. And for the food,it's food for a family of four that
(18:08):
could feed them for a week.And then on Friday we also will have
many other things that we'll do,but on Saturday we have the business component.
But before we get to Saturday,on Friday night and daytime, we
have something called the Youthpreneur, whichis really exciting because it's the end of
the school year and so kids arewondering, you know, if I don't
(18:29):
have a summer job, what canI do? While it's to help them
to figure out ways that they canbe productive the summer, maybe start a
business. And so that will bethe daytime and at night we'll have a
celebration for the kids, which isreally really fantastic. So on Saturday we
have two components. We have theexpungement, which we believe that people who
have a record they've already served theirtime. But sadly enough, even though
(18:52):
they have gotten out of prison andserve their time, some of them can't
find jobs because they still have arecord, So we partner with local attorneys
to help them start the process toexpunge that record so they can become more
productive members of society. We willalso have employers that are looking to hire
those with records. Our goal isto really empower those who have been justice
(19:12):
involved. And then we have foranyone, whether you're saved, whether you're
not, but you have a businessidea, We have a pitch competition and
we're going to give away money forthe winner. So we have ten thousand
for the first prize, five thousandfor the second prize, and twenty five
hundred for the third prize. Buthere's where it gets really fun. We
(19:33):
believe that we should empower the Bodyof Christ to promote entrepreneurship. And so
if those individuals who attend and getinvolved with the pitch competition wins and state
the church that they attend, thechurch will win double the prize. So
if you get ten thousand is thewinner, the church that you attend will
get twenty thousand. So we reallywant to encourage why because we know that
(19:56):
it's time for the church become evenmore active in their community, and a
lot of them suffered a lot duringthe pandemic, so we want to be
able to be a blessing to thechurch as well. That is fantastic.
Pastor Bernard, tell us more abouthow faith is really integral to this tensity
(20:17):
operation. And I know that it'sopen to anyone and everyone, but tell
us about the importance of faith asyou build it into this program. One
of the things that we recognize isthat most of the people who come to
our churches are people from the businesscommunity. They come from everyday life.
And we take the principles of theWord of God and we take it in
a spiritual context, and we gotto convert it to physical substance. In
(20:41):
otherwise, it's got to be practical. It's got to be something that you
can use every day. And sowe believe that God partners with those of
us in the marketplace practical skills,give us visions, ideas, concepts that
are designed by us to be ableto implement, and He comes alongside of
us in the invisible person that heis God, and He now touches it,
(21:03):
breathes on it, causes it tobe successful in a way that we
can never It can never happen ifwe just did it ourselves. And this
is a uniqueness about God, andthis is why he's taken this concept that's
really initiated by a preacher who basicallyis saying, listen, we're not coming
to give you a hand out.We're coming to give you a hand out.
We're literally now from a spiritual context, allowing people to discover the gifts
(21:30):
and talents that they already have insideof them. We're unlocking the genius inside
of every person. I love that. I love that extra level of just
a personal growth and spiritual growth thatempowers people through this program, Doctor Thomas.
This event is happening Friday, Juneninth through Saturday June tenth at the
Pennsylvania Convention Center. If people wouldlike to participate, how do they do
(21:53):
that? They could go directly toOperation tennes City and that's the number ten
ration tensity dot com and they couldregister and they will learn about all of
the activities that we've just mentioned,whether to volunteer or to actually participate,
whether it's a pitch, competitor oran exhibitor. So they could go to
Operation Tensity dot com and register.Fantastic, What a great opportunity and once
(22:18):
again. What is the website formore info Operations ten Cities dot com.
And I just want to say,Lauren before we go, I just want
to encourage all pastors. This issomething for all denominations, no matter where
you come from, whether you're Baptist, whether you're Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic.
It is really an all inclusive group. We are one big family.
(22:38):
We're all God's people. We reallywant to be able to provide an opportunity
to lift our city. We havea stake in this city and I think
it's time for us to make ourmark in the earth. Love that Pastor
Rate Barnard, who is lead pastorfor Impact Church Live, doctor Dolores Thomas,
president of Joseph Business School. Theyare here represent ending Operation ten City
(23:00):
coming to Philly and it's happening onJune ninth through Saturday, June tenth at
the PA Convention Center. Thank youboth for joining us today. Thank you
Loraine. There are many organizations outthere the target girls uplifting them and empowering
(23:22):
them, but very few as wonderfulas Evelour House, and we have its
founder and CEO joining us right now, Cheryl Waddlington Cheryl, always a pleasure
tell us about Evelor House. Yes, Hi, Loreen, how are you.
It's a pleasure to be here.Eveloor House is a nonprofit organization that
empowers and educates girls of color betweenthe eighties of thirteen and eighteen. We're
(23:45):
going on our twentieth anniversary next year. Could you believe it? Wow?
So we're excited about that. Sofar, we have, through our evidence
based programs, served more than threethousand girls. So we have over three
thousand girls who have gone on tocollege, many of them on full right
scholarships, and they're coming out ofcollege step free, and we're here to
(24:08):
talk about that. Our registration isopen and we're recruiting more girls for this
summer's series. And we're very excitedbecause we've gone national now, so we're
a nationwide program and we had ourfirst international student last year from Liberia,
Africa. The pandemic has caused usto pivot, but it has also illuminated
something really great where we've gone nationaland we have girls from as far as
(24:32):
Georgia to Ohio to Arizona, andso we're happy. That is fantastic.
Well, we do know that,as you mentioned it's evidence based program that
is absolutely using best practices to helpuplift girls, particularly girls of color.
And I wonder if you can giveus a brief idea of what they can
expect when they join this program.It's a nine week program and they're going
(24:53):
to have over twenty five in itsvirtual I don't know if I've mentioned that
this is for well They're going tohave over twenty five engaging topics like going
to college, their college prep,we call it going to college like a
Savage, another session called Stacking theBenjamin's, which is financial literacy. They're
(25:14):
going to have another segment called HealthyGirls Summer that deals with health and wellness,
resume writing, just a whole hostof different classes. And I can
tell you that we put a bigemphasis on wellness because we do know that
suicide among black team girls have goneup one hundred and eighty two percent.
We also know that the mental healthof young girls. Experts are starting to
(25:37):
see that their brains are not developingproperly due to a lot of the violence
that they're seeing in videos, particularlyvideos of police officers killing black men.
So that is doing something to ourgirls and their development. We're not just
here because we want to do aprogram for girls. We're here because we
need to be here to help saveand to raise how full young girls of
(26:00):
color. Well, this program hasbeen acknowledged by the White House by Loreal
you are one of the big winnersof their international program that highlights wonderful nonprofits
doing great work. And so weknow that there's a great success story with
evel Or House. And the girlswho are going through this program do go
on to great, great things.You have a very good graduation rate,
(26:25):
don't you. Among the girls whoare in the program and have graduated from
the program, they go on tohigher education and very very excellent numbers.
We're just actually surprised at the miraclesI call them that we see. We
have one girl who had an unfortunatebackground, but yet we stuck in her
life. Five years later, shemade it to law school. We have
another girl who was shoveled through thefoster care system. Well, she was
(26:48):
accepted to one of the top schoolsin the country and she got a quarter
million dollars in scholarships, so she'scoming out debt free. And then we
had another student who was having problemsat Villa Neewuniverse Villanova University with being a
black woman on canspus. So insteadof dropping out, which is what a
lot of black girls do, shedecided to hold conversations with her white peers
(27:11):
to let them know what it's likebeing a black woman attending a white university.
And she was able to not onlygraduate with a degree in International studies,
but to also be a full Brightscholar. So yeah, so they're
not just reaching ordinary levels, they'rereaching extraordinary levels. And that's what we
do. Hear. At Evelore House, we maintain we set the standard high,
(27:33):
and we also say to our instructors, who are all educators at the
master's degree level, we say,do not rob a girl of an opportunity
to be great. While this programis free, but it is something that's
first come, first served, sotell us all the details. How do
people sign up? So in orderto register, they just have to go
to our website at evelore House dotorg so it's spelled e vo lu e
(28:00):
orhouse dot org to register. Allthe application and everything that you need more
information is right there online and wehave a few spots available. We have
scholarships available. Like you said,Lorene, and we're just looking forward to
having another exciting summer. Is thereany final word that you have to share
with us before we close? Ijust want all of the young girls out
(28:21):
there to know that you have dreamsjust like I did, and so we
want you to chase your dreams.And we're presenting an environment that is safe,
where you can feel loved, andthat you're going to have a lot
of and meet a lot of sisterfriends. So if you're worried about,
okay, where can I go totry to be my best, come to
evel Or House. Our girls comeour gold. I hate to brag,
but they do. They do.I've seen it. It is absolutely one
(28:45):
of the most successful programs uplifting blackgirls, girls of color. Evelor House.
Cheryl Wadlington, founder and CEO ofthis extraordinary nonprofit, thank you so
much. Thank you, Loraine.Cheryl Wadlington, the under and executive director
of the Evelore House, which isa nonprofit organization that empowers and educates girls
(29:07):
between the ages of thirteen and nineteenyears old. And you have tremendous success
with uplifting these girls. How dopeople sign up? And when is the
deadline? And when does this allhappen Sure. It is the program our
award winning White House recognized program HolisticMe Virtual Workshop Summer Series, and they
(29:30):
can register online on our website atevlorehouse dot org. Evlore is spelled e
Vo lu Er. The program runsfrom June twenty sixth to August twenty fifth.
Space is very limited. It's freebut those who qualify, so we're
(29:52):
looking for girls to well parents tosign up their daughters ASA right away to
take advantage of this life changing opportunity. Fantastic recording stopped. Okay. You
can listen to all of today's interviewsby going to our station website and typing
in keyword Community. You can alsolisten on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
(30:15):
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitterand Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine
Ballard Morrow and I stand for serviceto our community and media that empowers.
What will you stand for? You'vebeen listening to Insight and thank you
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