Salesforce Proudly Presents a Gala Fundraiser for the
Saturday, October 14, 2023, 5:30PM – 10PM
Salesforce proudly presents the Blind Institute of Technology’s Dining In The Dark Fundraising Gala at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. BIT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing workplace development and inclusive employment solutions for individuals with disabilities. BIT helps ready individuals with disabilities for success in the workplace as well as aids the employers who hire them!
Blind Institute of Technology is excited to bring its Dining In The Dark Annual Fundraiser to Philadelphia to help significantly reduce the severe unemployment and underemployment rates of people with disabilities on both a local and national level. Please join us at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco to learn more about The Greatest Equalizer and for a night of fun!
Why partner? Join other corporate partners and sponsors to make a positive impact on current and future young professionals that have a visual impairment or other disability by assisting them in gaining the skills they need for meaningful work with a living wage.
The Facts
- Current unemployment rate of people with disabilities is 81%.
- 21.5 million American adults, age 18 and older are blind or visually impaired.
- Annually the government spends over $4 billion of taxpayer money to support unemployed visually impaired Americans.
- Nearly one in five visually impaired Americans live at or below the poverty level and only 19% are currently employed.
- Among all demographics, unemployment and underemployment rates are among the highest for people with disabilities especially when considering qualifications.
- 78% of disabled people abandon online job applications when it comes to the part that asks if you have a disability.
What We Do and Why
The facts speak for themselves and this is why we do what we do every day. Our team recruits candidates with disabilities from universities, vocational rehabilitation centers, disability-focused forums and events, and social media. Our career development services include interactive workshops, resume writing, interview training, and specific skill training. Our BIT Academy focuses on official certifications for careers at companies such as Salesforce, Cisco, Amazon, and companies within their ecosystems. At a minimum, we guarantee each candidate who completes a course from the BIT Academy a paid internship with the ultimate goal of placement in a full-time employment role. Candidates we place earn a median salary of $72,000.00 per year which is 40% higher than the U.S. average household income of $50,740 per year. At the same time, we work closely with our corporate partners to increase awareness and education on the value of hiring individuals with disabilities.
How You Can Help
BIT’s services are 100% complimentary to all of our candidates. Even after we place our candidates in meaningful careers we continue to mentor and provide career guidance to them. Upon successful completion of the BIT Academy courses, we work closely with the candidate and our corporate partners to identify the perfect fit for mutual success on both the candidate and corporate sides. On average we invest about $5,400 in each candidate that completes our BIT Academy courses. For 2022, our goal is to have at least 100 candidates complete the BIT Academy’s skill-up courses to then place them on a life-changing meaningful career path.
All the money raised at the Dining In The Dark Gala will go directly to maximizing the number of candidates that participate in the BIT Academy and Apprenticeship Program. Please help us achieve our goal by joining us at the Dining in the Dark Gala as a partner in our mission. There will be a seated dinner, live auction, and entertainment.
Blind Institute of Technology is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. TAX ID 46-2557719
We must receive your sponsor commitment, logo, and payment no later than 9/21/23 for inclusion in Gala program.
Please contact Natalie to secure your sponsorship, make payments and give guest information. She can be reached at natalie@blindit.org or 303-995-1006