Chautauqua Opportunities will be holding its annual dinner, entitled “Mobilizing the War on Poverty at the Grass Roots Level,” on Thursday, July 31, 2003 at Fredonia State University Williams Center. The keynote speaker at this event will be Derrick Len Span, National President of the Community Action Partnership (CAP) in Washington, D.C.

Derrick Span became the National President of the Washington D.C. Community Action Partnership on June 3, 2002. The partnership is the national association representing the interest of the 1,000 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) organized to change people’s lives, embody the spirit of hope, improve communities, and make America a better place to live. CAAs care about the entire community, and are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

At the partnership, the nation’s most extensive and effective anti-poverty organization, Mr. Span oversees several advocacy initiatives, including Dialogues on Poverty, Policy Forums, and Annual Conferences. He also develops national program concepts, fund raisers, and recommends policy changes, while working closely with the Partnership’s board of directors to implement strategic plans on key poverty-related issues, such as a branding campaign aimed at raising national awareness of Community Action. As national president, Span travels extensively on annual national tours visiting regions and keeping the network energized, and informed, and united toward the goal of eradication poverty.

For more information on the partnership and CAAs, visit the association’s website at www.communityactionpartnership.com.

Chautauqua Opportunities, your local community action agency, is very fortunate to have the opportunity to bring Mr. Span to this region. With the vision of healthy families and children prepared to meet the future, our community has partnered and made considerable inroads in improving the overall quality of life in Chautauqua County. Working together, we have established public and private partnerships that provide innovative and creative solutions for families along with expanded economic opportunities. If you would like to take more of an in-depth look at our agency, please refer to our web site at www.chautauquaopportunities.com.

Mr. Span promises to be an excellent speaker and bring a national message that will empower local communities toward effective results. For more information on the COI Annual Dinner, please contact Trisha Shetland at (716) 366-3333 ext. 225.