The Oprah Winfrey Boys and Girls Club is excited to announce the return of its annual C.A.R.E. Banquet.
“Restrictions on social gatherings have been lifted, so we are looking forward to celebrating our youth and our community,” according to a press release from the club.
The dinner will be held on Nov. 15 at the Boys and Girls Club, located at 500 Knox Road in Kosciusko. The event will begin at 6 p.m., and tickets are $50 each with table sponsorships at $300.
The guest speaker will be Dr. Calvin Mackie, the founder of STEM NOLA, a non-profit organization that inspires and engages communities in learning about opportunities in STEM.
Mackie is an award-winning mentor, inventor, author, former engineering professor, internationally renowned speaker and successful entrepreneur. His message and life’s mission continues to transcend race, gender, ethnicity, religion and time.
Since 2013, STEM NOLA has engaged over 75,000 students — mostly under-served students of color — in hands-on STEM project-based learning.
A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Mackie graduated from high school with low test scores requiring him to take special remedial classes at Morehouse College. In 1990, he graduated magna cum laude from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Science degree as a member of Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. Simultaneously, he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, where he also earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering in 1996.
Following graduation, he joined the faculty at Tulane University, where he pursued research related to heat transfer, fluid dynamics, energy efficiency and renewable energy. In 2002, he was promoted to associate professor with tenure.
Following Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005, former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco appointed Mackie to the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the guiding agency to lead the state's rebuilding efforts. Mackie was prominently featured in Spike Lee’s HBO Katrina documentary “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts” and follow-up documentary “If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise.”
Mackie and his wife, Tracy, have two sons, Myles Ahmad and Mason Amir. He is the older brother of movie star Anthony Mackie, who stars in Mavel’s “Captain America” and “Avengers” movies.
To make a donation to the Oprah Winfrey Boys and Girls Club’s Care Campaign or to sponsor a child, donations can be sent to The Oprah Winfrey Boys and Girls Club, P.O. Box 187, Kosciusko, MS 39090. For more information, call 662-289-4252.
