PRESIDENTS MESSAGE On behalf of the Baron Jay Foundation and its Board of Directors, I would like to thank and welcome you to the 4th Annual Trailblazer Awards Luncheon. This event recognizes the various national and community leaders as well as other game changers who have blazed a new trail in their respective fields. Our esteemed list of award recipients continuously shatter ceilings. Our honorees and their achievements span many industries which include running the largest independent Film/TV production company in Hollywood and financial advisement to Urban Markets to championing diversity and inclusion in Hollywood, as well as being the first African American woman ever to win an OSCAR in costume design. Our honorees are the very definition of the Luncheon’s theme of Each One, Reach One, Teach One. Each honoree uses their talent and influence to protect, provide and create opportunities for their communities. The Baron Jay Foundation (BJF) was founded in 2004 to give back to disadvantaged communities in ways that can truly make a difference. The organization uses its multiple resources as well as partnerships to uplift disadvantaged youth, especially in urban America. BJF, a 501(c) (3) federally tax exempt nonprofit organization, commits itself to promoting health awareness, relationship guidance, employment preparedness, immersive technology and financial literacy in economically distressed and underserved communities. Our workshops for underserved youth prepare them to become responsible, civic-minded, respectful, and productive citizens. Our organization’s workshops are designed to give our beneficiaries practical life-skills that promote self-esteem, empathy, stress reduction, anger management, academic improvement, and civic leadership. Baron Jay Foundation job training programs offer insight into unique employment opportunities in golf as well as the entertainment industry. Our flagship filmmaking program exposes participants to a multitude of career paths that provide the necessary tools for gainful employment in entertainment. This is especially critical because California’s reputation as being the entertainment capital of the world. Without our supporters and community partners the work we do would be limited. We want to thank our individual donors, corporate supporters such as One West Bank, Home Depot, Disney, Hidden Empire Film Group, Morgan Stanley, California Endowment, LA Care and Western Golf Association Evan Scholarship. On behalf of all of us at Baron Jay Foundation we want to say thank you! Today’s Trail Blazer Honorees include Roxanne Avent-Taylor, Marilyn F. Booker, Effie T. Brown and Ruth Carter. You can learn more about each of them by reading their individual pages, but I have to say, I am truly humbled that they are with us today. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my wonderful wife, Tamani Littleton for painting individual painting for the honorees and being the wind beneath my wings. This awards ceremony and luncheon will hopefully serve as a springboard for the future years. On behalf of the board of directors of the Baron Jay Foundation, we hope you enjoy the festivities and be as inspired as we are by the work of the award recipients. Most importantly, we hope that when you leave this event, it will be with a sense of resolve, purpose and urgency to help our disadvantaged youth to reach their full potential. Never Lose Faith, Baron Jay Littleton Jr Founder & President
-Never Lose Faith