Rainbow PUSH Hosts Youth Tech Benefit during NBA All-Star Week with Guest Shaquille O'Neal

CHICAGO, Jan. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rainbow PUSH Coalition, led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., in conjunction with its affiliate nonprofit, Citizenship Education Fund, will hold its "Welcome to Chicago 2020 Benefit" as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities. The event will be held on Thursday, February 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Soldier Field in the United Club Room. NBA Hall of Famers Dave Bing and Isiah Thomas will serve as co-chairs, and fellow NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal will join the occasion as a special guest.

The event will help raise funds to support Cool Kids Code, a program designed to close the digital divide in inner cities by preparing young people for the technological jobs of tomorrow.

"Welcome to Chicago 2020 Benefit" comes to Chicago for the first time in 32 years, and with it, the eyes of the basketball world," said the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., president and founder of Rainbow PUSH Coalition. "We believe this is a great opportunity to bring attention to and raise funds for a worthy cause that will ensure the youth in urban cities have the technological skills necessary to compete in today's transformative economy."

The Cool Kids Code program was first piloted in Detroit in 2018. More than 200 young people took part in the program, exposing them to data they would have otherwise been unable to discover. The success experienced in Detroit has fueled efforts to expand the program nationally, with plans to offer the program in Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas and Milwaukee. Sponsors include General Motors, FCA, Ford, Piston Automotive Group, Global Automotive Alliance and Chemico.

The event will also help defray expenses related to the Saturday Push EXCEL STEM and Robotic programs in Chicago and the PUSHTECH 2020 initiative in our Bay Area/Silicon Valley office.

The event will feature numerous athletes, entertainers, dignitaries and sports enthusiasts from around the world. It will also include great food, musical performances, a silent auction and several surprises.

For more information, please call 888-503-6631 and to order tickets visit welcometochicago.ticketmambo.com.

SOURCE Rainbow PUSH Coalition