As most associations do, SSPC typically provides a small gift to our conference speakers as a thank you for their efforts in providing the first-class technical programs our members have come to expect at our conference. As the SSPC staff discussed what unique gifts we could purchase for a modest amount of money, we had an interesting thought.
Since our speakers were helping to educate our membership, why not thank them by making a contribution in their names to a literacy or learning organization in the city where we hold our conference? We found a very worthy group in the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) in New Orleans, LA.
The YEP engages underserved young people through community-based education, mentoring and employment readiness programs to help them develop skills and strengthen ties to family and community. The SSPC Speaker contribution for the 2018 conference was $1,650 and was presented to a YEP representative at the Awards Luncheon on January 15, 2018. Thank you to our speakers at SSPC 2018 for embracing this new tradition!