Celebrating twenty years of its proven program, the national nonprofit Year Up announced today its virtual gala, "Powering the Movement," raised nearly $7 million, including a $1 million gift from Bain Capital Community Partnership.

"2020 has been a challenging year. But you stuck with us and fought alongside us to not only sustain but to advance our mission," said Year Up Founder and CEO Gerald Chertavian while addressing the Year Up community. "We will continue to scale and evolve our program to serve more deserving young adults, and build the capacity to work with and through others, dramatically increasing the number of young adults who gain access to opportunity."

More than 1,000 attendees joined the event on September 16th, where Year Up alumnus and PhD student Durrell Washington interviewed Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). They focused on the need to "commit to learning history" to recognize and address failures contributing to the racial wealth gap, and how young adults could accelerate social change.

Jalen Epps, who graduated from Year Up Greater Boston in 2015 and is an Associate Program Manager on the Emerging Talent Program Team at JPMorgan Chase, spoke about how Year Up still inspires him.

"I currently serve as the co-chair for the Year Up Boston Alumni Association, and through my work on the Emerging Talent Programs team, I ensure there are opportunities at the firm for diverse candidates of all backgrounds," said Epps.

Jameela Roland, a Year Up Puget Sound 2017 graduate working at Microsoft, emceed the event. Roland testified before Congress in 2017 as part of a hearing on "Opportunities for Youth and Young Adults to Break the Cycle of Poverty." Beija Gonzalez, a 2018 Year Up Bay Area graduate working at LinkedIn, spoke about how Year Up empowered her to be a more effective community leader.

Champions of Year Up's mission were inducted into the Opportunity Hall of Fame, including Joe and Abigail Baratta, Paul and Sandy Edgerley, Garrett and Mary Moran, John Stanton and Terry Gillespie, and Greg and Alicia Walton; Harvard University, Kaiser Permanente, LinkedIn and LinkedIn Social Impact, The Workday Foundation and United Airlines; and Ballmer Group, Barr Foundation, Blue Meridian Partners, The Boston Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The Marcus Foundation, The Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation, and The Wyss Foundation.

About Year Up Inc.

Year Up is an award-winning, national 501(c)3 organization that enables motivated young adults to move from minimum wage to meaningful careers in just one year by providing the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their full potential. Through a one-year, intensive program, Year Up utilizes a high-expectations, high-support model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, coursework eligible for college credit, and corporate internships at more than 250 top companies. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to enable young adults with a viable path to economic self-sufficiency and meaningful careers. Year Up has served more than 30,000 young adults since its founding in 2000. Year Up is active in 35 campuses across the U.S., including Arizona, Baltimore, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City/Jersey City, Pittsburgh, Puget Sound, Rhode Island, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Wilmington. Year Up has been voted one of the "Best Non-Profits to Work For" by The NonProfit Times. To learn more, visit www.yearup.org, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.