WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Walter Kaitz Foundation will highlight the contributions of three principal diversity-focused organizations serving the cable industry during its 21st annual fundraising dinner September 22, 2004, at the Hilton New York in New York City.
The annual Kaitz Foundation Dinner is the centerpiece of cable's annual Diversity Week activities in New York City each fall. The 2004 dinner will honor Spencer Kaitz, Founder of the Walter Kaitz Foundation and former President and General Counsel of the California Cable & Telecommunications Association.
The activities and achievements of the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT), and the Emma Bowen Foundation will be highlighted during the dinner. These organizations are the primary recipients of funding from the Foundation and for years have demonstrated leadership in driving racial, ethnic, and gender diversity across industry companies.
“Each of these groups has become synonymous with cable industry diversity,” said Debbie A. Smith, Executive Director, Walter Kaitz Foundation. “NAMIC has been our industry’s most effective advocate, change agent, and provider of leadership development programs for advancing people of color in all levels of our work force. WICT has led the way in providing career coaching and professional development for women while encouraging industry companies to provide opportunity for women to succeed in management roles. And Emma Bowen has focused on skills training and professional internship experiences for diverse young people, exposing them early in life to opportunities in the cable television and broadcasting industries.
“Through their passion and activism, these groups together have created a highly positive diversity profile for the entire cable industry,” Smith said.
Kaitz Foundation funding – provided directly from cable industry companies and organizations, largely through the sale of tickets and tables at the annual Foundation fundraising dinner – helps support a variety of programs and initiatives managed by each of the three groups, so it’s important for the Foundation to showcase their accomplishments, Smith noted.
Additionally, a special video segment planned for the dinner will feature several founding Trustees of the Walter Kaitz Foundation, as they reflect on the progress and future of the Foundation.
Co-chaired by Matthew Blank, Chairman & CEO, Showtime Networks, and Glenn Britt, Chairman & CEO, Time Warner Cable and Chairman of the Board of the Walter Kaitz Foundation, the 2004 Walter Kaitz Foundation Dinner begins with cocktails at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m., on Wednesday, September 22, 2004.
August 20 is the deadline for the purchase of dinner tables and tickets, hotel reservations, and advertising for the event. For $12,500, participants may purchase a table of ten and a one-page color advertisement in the event program. A table of ten is available for $10,000. Individual seats can be obtained for $1,000, though availability may be limited. A one-page color advertisement in the event program may be purchased separately for $5,000 and a half-page color ad is available for $2,500.
Forms for dinner reservations, hotel accommodations, and advertising, as well as additional information about the dinner, are available from the Kaitz Foundation Web site, www.walterkaitz.org. Forms and additional information also can be obtained by calling the Walter Kaitz Foundation at (202) 775-3611.
The Walter Kaitz Foundation recently was reorganized under the administrative umbrella of NCTA. As part of its new charter, in addition to providing substantial grant funding for pro-diversity initiatives, the Foundation has been charged by its transition committee with developing an industry-wide supplier diversity program and robust Web site emphasizing industry-based diversity activities. Work on those activities currently is under way, under the direction of Smith along with Foundation and NCTA staff.
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