About The Savannah tribune. (Savannah, Ga.) 1973-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2024)
Friday, May 3,2024 Submit your Salute to Mother now! See Page 4 for more info. ) “Georgia’s Best Weekly” ^atoannaf) tribune I8I>5 MLK Jr. RIvtL Sav.« GA 31415 April 24, 2024 - April 30,2024 VoL 54 No. 17 Tel: 911-1233-6128 * Fan: 912-233-6140 www.va y:i n nabtri hu ne.com Savannah Jazz s Annual Circle of Friends’ Gig May 3rd, 2024, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum T he Circle of Friends’ Gig is a festive fundraiser for Savannah Jazz, a 501C3 non-profit organi zation founded in 1982. The event supports all its initiatives including the monthly concert series, the Savannah Jazz Or chestra, educational programs, The Savannah Jazz History and Hall of Fame Exhibit, and the Annual Savannah Jazz Fes tival. “This event helps us continue to grow the aware ness of the importance of Sa vannah as a jazz mecca from the early 20th century to today. Savannah Jazz is the steward of jazz in Savannah and cen tral to our mission is keeping this great art form accessible to all with more free events to the public than any other music organization in the region. We need to raise funds to support all our programs to keep them Howard Paul accessible and this is a really fun way to do it!” explains Ex ecutive Director, Paula Foga rty. Live upbeat music from the John Brackett Quin tet will get people dancing and happy. The band features Delbert Felix Howard Paul and Delbert Fe lix, inductees of the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame. There will be food and an open bar all in the beau tiful, covered garden room of Ships of the Sea Maritime Mu seum. Fogarty explains, “The event is a festive one with open comfortable seating and tables with plenty of room to dance. There will be great food items, drinks, a silent auction, and more. This is not a black- tie affair, but a super-fun jazz gig with old and new friends.” A silent auction will feature experiences like a weekend at the Pawleys Is land Music Festival, a hunting weekend at rock legend Chuck LeavelEs Charlane Plantation and a visit with Chuck himself, a private wine tasting, a trip to Napa Valley for a concert at Miner Family Winery and more! Ticket levels range from $80 to $2,100 with var ious benefits for each level throughout the year. For more information visit www.savan- nahjazz.org and click on the Circle of Friends’ Event for tickets. Savannah State University Announces 25th Anniversary Scholarship Gala Michael Williams David Paddison Savannah State Uni versity (SSU) is pleased to announce the 25th Anniver sary Scholarship Gala will be held on Saturday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront. The Gala provides a meaningful opportunity for the community to support stu dents with financial assistance as they work to earn a college degree. Nearly 90 percent of the students at Savannah State University utilize some form of financial aid to achieve a col lege degree. This year’s theme is “The Masquerade Gala: An Evening of Scholarship and Splendor.” The evening will feature an Awards of Excel lence presentation, honoring a select group of distinguished individuals (alumni and friends of the university ) for their con tributions to Savannah State and the greater community. Honorees will be recognized for exemplary contributions in the areas of leadership, philan thropy, scholarship, service, arts and entertainment, and en trepreneurship. Mr. Michael Wil liams and Mr. David Paddison will serve as this year’s Gala co-chairs. Williams, a 1980 SSU graduate, is president of Jetaire Group, an Atlan ta-based full-service avionics and aircraft engineering firm providing services to clients in the aviation and aerospace in dustries. Established in 1984, Jetaire specializes in fuel-tank safety and ignition mitigation and serves customers in 51 countries. In 2020, the Geor gia Department of Economic Development’s International Trade division joined Gover nor Brian Kemp to recognize Jetaire Group as a winner of Georgia’s 7th annual GLOBE Awards. The award highlights companies that have entered new international markets and have had a significant impact on the state’s economy. Wil liams is also the recipient of the 2021 Epps Aviation Lifetime Achievement Award. Paddison, a native of Savannah, is president of Ster ling Seacrest Pritchard, one of the largest employee-owned risk management and insur ance brokerage agencies in the nation. The firm provides busi ness insurance and employee benefits solutions, risk man agement services, and surety and bonding products for major contractors, national retailers, and large property manage ment firms across the United States. Continued on Page 9 Legend of Black Business Development Returns To The Hungry Club Forum Annual Event In 1976, American lawyer and activist Margaret Bush Wilson, first Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), spoke to Savannahians, in the Grand Ballroom of the DeSoto Hilton Hotel. It was on the occasion of the retirement of Wesley Wal lace “WW” Law, after twen ty-five years as President of the Savannah Branch NAACP. Ac cording to historian and found er of the Hungry Club Forum of Savannah, Inc. (2006) Diana Harvey Johnson, the versatile and accomplished leader said, “the new challenge for our peo ple is conquering the economic frontier.” Nearly fifty years lat er, how are we coming in the face of the mammoth growth in our community’s path, in the southeast and the nation, John son asked. Joseph R. Hudson, CEO, Hudson Strategic Group, is one of the legends whose passion, knowledge and skills placed him in rooms across Georgia and the Nation, ad dressing needs and challenges as well as strategizing to devel op policies and procedures to move progressively forward, will be the keynote speaker at the Saturday, May 4, 2024 18th Annual Community Service Appreciation Reception-Lun cheon at 11:30 AM in the Banquet Room of the Con-Ed Bldg., located at 714 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Stand ing theme: “On Becoming the Change that We Want to See: Launching and Assessing Ini tiatives Collectively for Our selves and Our Posterity.” One day in 1966, in the bustling city of Washing ton, DC, a young and deter mined man named Joe Hudson embarked on a remarkable journey. With a degree from v V Joseph R. Hudson Howard University, and a heart and soul full of dreams and as pirations, he stepped into the majority bank for his first day as the first Black officer of a white bank in DC. Little did he know that this was the be ginning of a legacy that would span over half a century. In the face of chal lenges and obstacles, Joe’s resilience and passion for African American business affairs and entrepreneurship never wavered. As the years unfolded, he transformed into a Grand Master Jedi Knight advocate for Black businesses, championing their full com munity participation. In 1969, Joe’s odyssey continued with his involvement in supporting Black businesses at the Interra cial Council for Business Op portunity. He crafted the first case studies on minority small business lending, and in 1970, designed the nation’s first rec ognized “Minority Business Week.” His expertise and in fluence continued to grow, as since 1968, he oversaw mil lions in business loans and con tracts for minority businesses. Continued on Page 5 Step Up Savannah Awarded “Stay Informed. Stay Covered.” Community Grant Step Up Savannah has been awarded a commu nity mini-grant to support the awareness of Medicaid/Peach- Care for Kids® redetermina tion among underserved popu lations in Georgia. The grant is one of five “Stay Informed. Stay Covered.” Community Mini- Grants awarded by HOPE for Georgia Moms at Northeast Georgia Health Systems and the Georgia Department of Hu man Services (DHS) as part of broad efforts to ensure as many eligible families as possible, especially pregnant women and children, are informed about their Medicaid/PeachCare for Kids® redetermination status. As a public benefits intermediary for the Georgia Department of Human Ser vices, Step Up Savannah will leverage its local and regional partnerships to help to inform and educate difficult-to-reach Medicaid/PeachCare for Kids® members in our com munity and assist them with their public benefits enrollment and update their status. “We are so grate ful for the opportunity to help individuals and families un derstand how to prepare for Medicaid redetermination and what to expect during and after eligibility checks,” said Der rick Parker, Financial Security Director of StepUp Savannah. Step Up participated in a competitive application process and awardees were se lected by a panel of community and state-based experts. The community-wide program will end on May 31st. All program participants need to complete their process by then or risk losing their benefits. The “Stay Informed. Stay Covered.” program has a special focus on reaching pregnant women and new mothers as national research shows that pregnant women are considered one of the most at-risk populations for losing coverage during this national redetennination because of the challenges in transportation and transient living. Since fall 2022, DHS, the Department of Community Health, and other community partners have been working to educate and mobilize Medic aid and PeachCare for Kids® members through a statewide public information campaign. The public-private partnership with HOPE for Georgia Moms is the latest ex ample of the campaign’s ded ication to emphasizing local solutions, local outreach, and local impact. “Georgia’s extension of Medicaid to a full year post partum is an important way we can improve maternal health in our state, and we must make sure that eligible pregnant and postpartum women take action to complete Medicaid redeter mination so they can keep their coverage,” said Dr. Heidi Eh- renreich, project director, State Maternal Health Innovation Program known as HOPE for Georgia Moms. “The donation to the ‘Stay Informed. Stay Covered.’ mini-grant program shows our commitment to our mission of improving the health and quality of life for residents in our community and throughout the state.” To aid this process Step Up will have the following in-person events: April 24th: 8 AM - 12 PM at Savannah Civic Cen ter (301 W Oglethorpe Ave); April 27th: 12 PM - 3 PM at First Hispanic Baptist Church (1 Gamble Rd, Savannah, GA); May 1st: 10 AM - 3 PM at Wesley Community Center (1601 Drayton Street); May 15th: 9 AM - 3PM at Savan nah Technical College (5717 White Bluff Rd); May 6th: 9 AM - 3 PM at Pennsylvania Avenue Resource Center (425 Pennsylvania Ave); May 17th: 9 AM - 3 PM at Moses Jackson Advancement Center (1410 Richards St); May 18th: 9 AM - 1PM at Forsyth Fanners Mar ket (Inside in the park - 621 Drayton St); and May 28th & 29th: 9 AM - 3 PM at United Way Building (428 Bull Street, 1st Floor, Savannah, GA). For questions and as sistance contact Derrick Parker at 912-330-6445 or DParker@ StepUpSavannah.org. E Enter our Social Media Contest for a Chance to Win a set of Four Tickets to Disney On Ice: Frozen &Encanto\ Deadline: April 27 th See Page 14 for Info! ROBERT E. JAMES President since December 1971 CARVER' STATE BANK est, Feb, 23, 1927 97 Years of Service, Leadership and Success! LOUIS B. TOOMER founder one) fif Presiden) MAIN OFFICE 70 i Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd., Savannah, GA 3 1401 SKI DAW AY BRANCH 71 tO Skiefaway Rd., Savamoh, GA 31406
