Moving Forward

We're doing the happy dance at the Marketplace.  We are officially the Marketplace for Social Awareness and Social Responsibility Inc.  We are  incorporated in the State of New York and recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This milestone allows us to accept donations that are tax-exempt to the full extent allowed under U.S. law.

We can now begin to move forward with our social responsibility initiatives.  The Marketplace is a small organization with big ideas.  We are committed to our mission of:

• Promoting and supporting programs, initiatives, and events that address the needs of African-American youth. 
  
• Developing scholarship programs and delivering scholarships  to  African-American students to assist them with the cost of educational materials for their college education. 

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Building an organization takes time and effort.  More importantly it takes money.  Fundraising will be an important part of what we do to grow our organization and deliver on our commitment.  You will notice a few strategically placed "Donate Now" buttons throughout our website.  We humbly accept and greatly appreciate any monetary contributions.  If you are not in a position to assist us financially, we are always looking for people and organizations that are aligned with our mission and willing to help.

We are in the planning stages of preparing our 2013 road map.  There's so much we want to do but as the saying goes you can't boil an ocean.  We will be selective in our endeavors and prudent with our finances. One thing is for certain, we will launch our Social Responsibility Scholarship Program and deliver at least one scholarship to a deserving high school student.

As part of our social awareness initiatives, we will continue to focus on:

• The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and organizations with similar agendas
• Voter's rights
• Stop, Question, and Frisk
• Affirmative Action
• Reforming our Criminal Justice system

Our vision is clear:

“We believe that if we create a mechanism for us to communicate and share information, a “Marketplace” of sorts, we will be in a better position to collaborate and work collectively. It is for this reason that the Marketplace for Social Awareness and Social Responsibility was launched.

We can leverage social media to promote social awareness and social responsibility. We can create a place where information can be shared, issues discussed, and programs promoted.”

I thank you for your continued support and invite you to join us on this journey.