This summer, you’re invited to take part in the premiere networking gathering of African American Alumni of the 14 member schools of the Big Ten Athletic Conference, the world’s most storied collegiate organization. The inaugural Big 10 BANboree is planned for July 28-30, 2022, at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL. It’s expected to draw as many as 5,000 alumni from a pool of more than 150,000 Black Alumni, representing most every field of professional endeavor imaginable.

Motivated by the enormity of the potential impact of collective and supportive action, the annual BANboree is envisioned as a power networking conference for Black professional, corporate decision-makers, business owners, researchers, academia, community leaders, artist, policy makers, athletes, and supporters all having successfully navigated the unique experiences of Black life on the campuses of these 14 world class institutions.

While our vison is to provide a networking opportunity for Black Alums from the Big 10 institutions, it is also our plan to host a community service event to serve the next generation of college bound students here in the Chicagoland area by holding our own version of a “Trunk Party” on Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 3:00pm. We know that many of our area youth will be heading off to college this fall. Many will have scholarships or grants to help pay for tuition, housing, and other major expenses. However, many will have very little money left to cover necessities. Our mission is to obtain these much-needed resources to provide our college bound youth with the supplies they need to make their transition from home to the dorm room as smooth as possible, and this is where your support is needed.

BANboree, NFP is a 501(c)3 federal tax-exempt charity, and we are asking for your support in the form of supplies, in-kind gifts, or monetary donations to help us achieve our goal of providing basic needs to as many of our college bound youth as possible. We would appreciate any contribution you can make. No donation is too small. We would also gladly provide documentation for verification and your records if needed.

Please contact us by July 11th to arrange pick up of donations. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at marketing@banboree.com. We hope to hear from you soon!

Book your room at the host hotel, Marriott Marquis Chicago Hotel, for a discounted rate at https://book.passkey.com/event/50270694/owner/48979017/home

BANboree Big 10 Networking Weekend will offer a career fair and business opportunity expo, seminars and workshops, networking events, marketplace, and entertainment. Visit our website to view the weekend of events at https://banboree.com.

A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to each Big 10 school’s Black Alumni Network to provide student scholarships.