QBG Receives Boost From Best Buy

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Jack Stonebraker, Community Relationship Program Manager for Best Buy (front row far right) is pictured with several employees who volunteer with the Best Buy TagTeam Award program. Several of these volunteers will assist the QBG Foundation with duties leading up to the 2011 Scholarship Awards Gala. The event will take place on August 20. (Photo by Thelma Sardin)
Jack Stonebraker, Community Relationship Program Manager for Best Buy (front row far right) is pictured with several employees who volunteer with the Best Buy TagTeam Award program. Several of these volunteers will assist the QBG Foundation with duties leading up to the 2011 Scholarship Awards Gala. The event will take place on August 20. (Photo by Thelma Sardin)

by Thelma Sardin

The QBG Foundations Scholarship Award Gala 2011 is one month away. The galas purpose is to help raise money for motivated high school seniors who are in need of financial support for college. QBG has awarded over $1.5 million in scholarship money since 1995.

Larissa Tyler, president/CEO of Mediaesque PR L.L.C, is busy coordinating intricate details for the event. Mediaesque serves as the executive director of the QBG Foundation.

Fortunately for Tyler, help is on the way! Mega electronics retailer Best Buy has a program that allows its employees to volunteer with non-profit organizations.

Through, Best Buys TagTeam Award program, each time ten volunteers assists QBG for one hour; the foundation receives $1,000 dollars. In the coming weeks leading to the gala, volunteers will help Tyler with administrative duties such as following up on gala correspondence, stuffing gift bags and envelopes and arranging centerpieces.

Moreover, on the day of the gala, volunteers will assist with setup and registration. Tyler says volunteers may have additional duties to help QBG streamline the process.

According to Best Buys website, the Best Buy TagTeam Award program recognizes the volunteer efforts of its employees by making a financial contribution to nonprofit organizations where employees offer their leadership, expertise and time. In 2009, over 21,000 Best Buy employees volunteered nearly126, 000 hours and, through the Best Buy Children's Foundation, donated more than $2.4 million to nonprofit organizations.

Tyler created a schedule and a timeline of tasks to determine how frequently the volunteers will serve QBG.

Jennifer Chopp, Community Relationship Program Lead for Best Buy will also help the foundation. Chopp is based in Detroit, MI; however, she is coming to Chicago to help with the gala. Her job is to gather and dispatch volunteers. Tyler says volunteers should begin helping QBG this week.

Additionally, Tyler is extremely excited about the volunteers and Best Buys philanthropic work. She called the TagTeam program very innovative and says it is a fantastic opportunity for QBG.

[Its] a good thing for the community that corporations like Best Buy reach out like this, she said.

Best Buy approached QBG about TagTeam. Jack Stonebraker, Community Relationship Program Manager for Best Buy said the company introduced the program to the foundation because of the great work it has done over the years. Stonebraker met with Tyler and William Garth, Sr., CEO of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group, Inc. and chairman of the QBG Foundation to find out how the company could support the gala. What can we do beyond a donation? What can we do beyond a single event to help impact the lives of kids? he said. It was at the meeting Stonebraker thought that TagTeam could be beneficial in helping QBG prepare for the gala.

Stonebraker says that Best Buy has given back to the community through its TagTeam program for at least fifteen years. He explained how the company funds its philanthropic efforts.

We set aside 1 percent corporately of our pre-tax earnings every year. The dollars are then intended to be spent locally. The funds are distributed between the companys 1200 stores nationally.

Melinda Kelly, executive director of the Chatham Business Association which also partners with Best Buy, says the company is doing great things in the community.

Best Buy has a sincere interest to intimately know the community on a personal and professional level. I believe that is what leads and drives them to bring [this] program to QBG, she said.

Stonebraker is scheduled to speak at the gala. He plans to mainly discuss the importance of partnerships.

I will talk a lot about partnerships because I genuinely believe that through good public and private partnerships, we can help improve the lives of the communities that we all serve.

The 2011 QBG Foundation Scholarship Awards Gala will be held Saturday, August 20 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker. Harold Melvins Blue Notes will serve as the evenings entertainment! To purchase tickets for the QBG Foundation Scholarship Gala, go to www.thechicagocitizen.com, or call Larissa Tyler at 773-783-1251. You can also purchase tickets by visiting the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group Inc. at 806 East 78th Street.

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