LOCAL SORORITY HOSTS COMMUNITY ECONOMIC & HEALTH EMPOWERMENT EXPO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May12, 2009

Contacts:
Wakita Barksdale
803-328-1075 – office
wakitabarksdale@yahoo.com

Denise Williams
803-448-1291 – cell
nyasmom@comporium.net


Rock Hill, SC – May 12, 2009 – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Eta Alpha Omega Chapter in conjunction with Brown & Brown Entertainment and North Central Family Medical Center will host the 7th Annual Community Economic & Health Empowerment Expo at the Baxter Hood Center in Rock Hill, SC on Sunday, June 7, 2009 from 2-5 PM.

The Expo will feature small businesses from the area. Events will include:
A Women in Business Panel featuring Gail Davis, an executive from Bank of America; Margaret Woodson, Director of the SC Governor’s Office of Small and Minority Business Assistance; Dr. Felecia C. Harris, President and Founder of The Educational Enhancement Corporation; Phyllis Stroud, local entrepreneur; and Elizabeth Simpson, a leadership consultant and entrepreneur A Teen Summit hosted by Jacinda of 96.1 The Beat. Workshops on affordable housing, tenets rights, finance, health screenings, a community blood drive, food, and FUN!

All events are free and open to the public!

Immediately following the Expo, a Networking Reception will be held, featuring community leaders and other elected officials. For tickets, contact Wakita Barksdale at 803-328-1075 or wakitabarksdale@yahoo.com.

This event marks its 7th year in the community. Each year, the expo equips entrepreneurs with increased business savvy and contacts. The expo has also proven to provide the community with much needed information on healthcare, insurance, and finances. According to Barbara A. McKinzie, the 27th International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, “the goal is to instill the value and importance of volunteering to assist in worthwhile causes in young adults; fill an important need in underprivileged and/or underserved communities; increase cooperation, communication, and collaboration between undergraduates, universities, businesses and surrounding communities. The overarching resolve is to enhance participants’ skills and position them to obtain better paying jobs, generate more per capita earnings and imbue them with marketable skills so that they can navigate their way in a high-tech world.”

The Eta Alpha Omega Chapter has been an integral part of the Rock Hill community for over 50 years providing scholarships, mentoring programs, and community services to those in need. The chapter consists of over 80 members who facilitate local programs and grassroots efforts to render “service to all mankind.”

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is America’s first Greek-letter organization founded in 1908 by, and for, African-American college women. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, it is one of the world’s leading service organizations with over 225,000 members and 975 chapters in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, Germany, Korea, Japan, and Africa. For more information, visit http://www.rockhillaka.org/.