From Left, Attorneys Tim Schelwat, Todd Korb, Michael F. Hupy, CTE CEO
ReDonna Rodgers, Attorneys Jason Richard and Chad Kreblin at the Harvest
for Hope Banquet
Hupy and Abraham, and Attorney Hupy personally, have a long and committed history with the Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship (CTE). It is the mission of CTE to help young people, aged 9-24, see themselves as the “CEO of Me” and to empower them to become successful and competitive professionals and entrepreneurs. CTE offers a variety of programs that promote business and life skills to Milwaukee youth. The organization researches, develops, implements and advocates for programs that utilize the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and promote financial and personal responsibility.
Harvest of Hope
Each year, CTE hosts an annual Harvest of Hope celebration. Here are some ways that our firm was involved in the early 2000’s:
- In 2003, Attorney Michael F. Hupy was the President of the Board of Directors of CTE. At its Harvest of Hope dinner in November of that year, Corey L. Nettles, the Secretary of the Department of Commerce, and Attorney Hupy spoke to a crowd of about 300 people.
- In 2004, Attorney Hupy remained the President of the CTE Board of Directors. At that year’s annual Harvest of Hope dinner, Judge Greg Mathis, of television fame, addressed an enthusiastic audience of nearly 400 CTE participants and supporters. In his inspiring talk, Judge Mathis focused on individual responsibility. He spoke about the difficulties he faced as a child, which included incarceration for juvenile crime. He explained how he overcame those difficulties before attending law school and noted how they later impeded his admission to the legal profession. As a youngster, growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Detroit, Judge Mathis saw the hard side of life but he was determined to overcome all obstacles and pursue a career in law. Along with Attorneys Michael F. Hupy and Jason F. Abraham, dignitaries attending the Harvest of Hope dinner included Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Maxine White, who served as Mistress of Ceremonies, and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judges Frederick Rosa and Mary Triggiano. ReDonna Rodgers, Executive Diector of CTE, was also present.
- Attorney Michael F. Hupy received an honorary award on November 29, 2007 at the Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship Harvest for Hope Banquet. The award was bestowed upon Attorney Hupy in recognition of his twelve years of service on the CTE board of directors, his leadership in recent years as board president, as well as for his stewardship and involvement in the greater Milwaukee Community. ReDonna Rodgers, founder and CEO of CTE presented the award to Attorney Hupy, indicating that “Michael has been a consistent advocate for board development because he believes an informed and well-trained board with diverse skills and interest will be able to ensure the growth of CTE.” Ms. Rodgers also recognized Attorney Hupy’s passion for improving the community.
- In 2010, Hupy & Abraham was a major sponsor of the Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship (CTE) "Harvest of Hope" celebration, which raised over $15,000 for the organization. The event was held at Marquette University, and featured Bruce Martin, the principal of Lena's Foods as the keynote speaker.
In June 2010, the Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship held its Celebration Dinner celebrating the entrepreneur projects of nine CTE students in the class of 2009-2010. The projects were part of the Young Entrepreneur Career Development Program. The event was held at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Milwaukee and was well attended by students, teachers and parents and business leaders from the Milwaukee area. The event was coordinated by two students, Nurys Uceta and Terese Shurn of Planning Made Easy.
Attorney Todd Korb from our firm spoke at the event about the value of education. Awards were given to the students for their projects while several students gave very detailed presentations on their entrepreneur projects. CTE CEO Redonna Rodgers ended the program on a high and inspiring note with a speech encouraging all to chase their dreams, and she thanked Hupy & Abraham for its generous sponsorship of five Hoop It Up teams.
CTE serves over 1,000 youth annually. Of the program participants, 100% complete high school, 80% go on to pursue higher education and 93% are employed. In addition, 100% of CTE students remain drug free, stay clear of gangs and have not become teen parents. It is an important cause that we encourage others to become involved in by visiting the CTE website and it is a program that we continue to support.