Denny's and the Tom Joyner Foundation Launch a New Partnership in Support of Higher Education for Single Parents
ATLANTA, Oct 31, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Denny's and the Tom Joyner Foundation will host a Single Parent Student Summit this Friday, November 2 at Spelman College to provide students with resources, insights and advice on thriving as a single parent student. This event will celebrate the launch of a new partnership between Denny's and the Tom Joyner Foundation, one that will provide $1,500 scholarships weekly in 2008 to single parents attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The event will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Donda West, mother of hip-hop artist Kanye West, who will address ways to overcome the challenges faced by single parents pursuing a higher education. Following Dr. West's presentation, a panel discussion will provide audience members with personal perspectives on this critical topic. The moderator for the event will be Tom Joyner Morning Show personality Myra J., noted comedienne and single parent advocate. Panel participants include: the Rev. Charles White, deputy chief of field operations for the NAACP; Debra Smithart-Oglesby, a mentor for single parents and Denny's board chair; Ericka Dunlap, Miss America 2004, who was raised by a single parent; and Raul Magdaleno, one of 10 children raised by a single parent and now head of diversity and community affairs at Southern Methodist University.
"Higher education can be the key to a better career and for many people, a better way of life," said Nelson Marchioli, president and CEO of Denny's Corporation. "Denny's is proud to partner with the Tom Joyner Foundation in support of single parents striving to create new opportunities for themselves and their children."