Chareice White, president of the ECIER Foundation of Northwest Indiana, said while she celebrates 10 years of success, she still continues to educate others about the foundation she has led for 10 years since its founding and rebranding.
ECIER is an acronym that stands for Educate, Create, Innovate, Entrepreneur and Relationships.
On Thursday, May 30, White, who also serves as president of Rice Communications, attended the City of Gary’s Scholars and Future Leaders Awards ceremony in the ballroom of the Munster Visual and Performing Arts Center. This was a “family-style” banquet for 100 invited guests preceding the Youth Entrepreneur Pitch Competition, which was held in the Theater at the Center stage space across the lobby.
White, who served as president of the Burden Foundation, founded by Gary-famous Majestic Star casino mogul Don Burden, tearfully thanked community leaders whose determination and support led him to start his own foundation after Burden died in May 2011 at age 67.
“I wanted to continue the Burden Foundation, but the corporate structure as a whole decided not to provide any further funding,” White told guests in his dinner speech.
“When I explained that I wanted to continue this mission, I was given permission to keep the funds currently held by the foundation, but was advised to change the name and launch it as a new branch mission.”
VIP guests at the dinner event and entrepreneurial pitch competition (the latter modeled after the TV show “Shark Tank”) included Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, Hard Rock Casinos Northern Indiana President Matt Shufert and Westside Theatre Guild Executive Director and Gary City Councilman Mark Spencer.
Shufert, on behalf of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, presented White and her foundation with a check for $50,000 and pledged continued support.
The mission of the ECIER Foundation is to “empower, motivate and educate students on systemic engagement and to increase students’ awareness and practice of community service.” Scholars receive robust services in the areas of college prep and are provided with the opportunities and tools to become young leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. White said the goal is to empower today’s youth to ensure they live in vibrant communities while cultivating leadership skills that build self-esteem and character.
I served as a judge for the Invention Submission Contest, which resulted in first place winners being twin brothers Timothy and Timone Moore with their “Sock Buddies” magnetic devices that keep socks from getting lost in the wash, second place winners being McKaylee Barnes with her “Aroma Booster” necklace, and second place winners being Curtis Dickerson with his “Sock It To Me” toe-protecting sock inserts.
For more information about White and the ECIER Foundation, visit www.ecier.org
Music Festival
South Shore Orchestra founder Troy Webdell has been helping prepare for the musical organization’s milestone 20th anniversary season this summer.
Webdell, a Fort Wayne resident and orchestra conductor, has partnered with Valparaiso Events to present the South Shore Orchestra’s 20th Anniversary Concert at Central Park Plaza at 7 p.m., June 13. The concert is free and open seating.
Over the past 20 years, the South Shore Orchestra has performed throughout the South Shore region, as well as a sold-out concert at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and six concert tours in 48 cities across China.
Founded by Webdell in 2004, the South Shore Orchestra remains committed to “building bridges between musicians, audiences and communities to promote the enjoyment and understanding of orchestral music in the South Shore region and beyond,” he said.
“I have said many times that music is a universal language that brings communities together and shares a common sentiment of understanding, equality and tolerance,” Webdell said.
“Just listening to one piece of music can completely change your outlook on life. Music is very powerful and we, the orchestra members, have a deep passion for music,” he said.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and marketing director for Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa@comhs.org.
