President Dr. Rosalyn Matthews and the Henry County GA branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will hold its annual Freedom Fund Gala on Saturday, October 1 at 4 p.m. at the Jason T. Harper Event Center at 95 Lake Dow Road in McDonough.

The 2022 theme for the annual gala is “The Time is Now – The Future is Today.” A call to action, the theme expresses the importance of taking actions now recognizing today is the proverbial tomorrow we have been preparing for. Whether it be engaging politically, organizationally, educationally, religiously or socially, it’s imperative we take action presently.

Keynote speaker Bishop Reginald T Jackson, the 132nd elected and consecrated bishop of the 6th District of Georgia’s African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first Christian denomination founded by Black Americans. As a native of Dover, DE and currently overseeing 500 churches in Georgia, Bishop Jackson spent decades in New Jersey refining his ministry. The Bishop embodies his religious passion while maintaining a staunch advocacy for voting rights and helping to provide a voice for many long feeling voiceless.

Mistress of Ceremony for the 2022 gala is Deidra Dukes coupled with greetings from the NAACP Georgia State Conference President, Gerald Griggs.

In addition, the Henry County GA branch will present two awards: the Branch Spirit Award and the Carrie Mae Hambrick Community Service Award. The former is presented to the branch member most enthusiastically committed to doing the work of the NAACP and the latter, to the person most active in their community to help those less fortunate.

Proceeds from the annual gala support the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the national and state NAACP organizations and the local programming and outreach of the Henry County GA NAACP branch.

Tickets for the event along with sponsorship opportunities are available by logging into Eventbrite and searching “Freedom Fund Gala” or https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/naacp-freedom-fund-gala-1151589.