19HE046 - 2019 HOPE Banquet

On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, the Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA), Mission Health, the Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation (WCMSF) and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) will host the annual Minority Medical Mentoring Program (MMMP) HOPE Banquet. This is a program for underrepresented high school students with an interest in high-level health professions. The primary goals of the program are to increase the number of underrepresented minorities training and practicing in WNC, enhance quality of care (prevention and wellness) as a result of increased workforce diversity, and achieve increased levels of health parity for populations of color in WNC.

This year's keynote address will be given by four MMMP Alumni: Davon Washington, Melvis Madrigal, Darryl Jayda Hart, and Zaria Bunn. Proceeds from the event will support the Dr. Charles Blair Health Parity Scholarship Fund that awards each MMMP intern a scholarship. The HOPE Banquet will be held at the MAHEC Mary C. Nesbitt Biltmore Campus on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 from 6:00-7:30pm.

The MMMP internship and its related programs give students opportunities they would not otherwise have. Many of these students are first-generation high school graduates and the first generation to attend college. Many of their families may not have the ability to assist their students in preparation for higher education. "This is an innovative program in Buncombe County that is needed throughout the state and particularly in the rural Appalachian communities. "With continued support, this program will continue to grow, thrive and change lives," says Jacquelyn Hallum, MAHEC's Director of Health Careers and Diversity Education. The program is supported through the Health Career and Diversity Education Department at MAHEC, Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA), Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation (WCMSF), and Mission Health.

For more information, please contact Jacquelyn Hallum at 828-257-4479 or via email: jacquelyn.hallum@mahec.net or Tracy Ashby-Wagner at 828 257-4733 or via email at tracy.ashby.wagner@mahec.net.

You can purchase tickets online by clicking the blue Register "button" above on the right. If you cannot attend and would like to contribute to the scholarship fund, send a check to WCMSF, 304 Summit St., Asheville, NC 28803. Please put "Dr. Blair Fund" in the memo line. You can also donate online by clicking HERE.