Page 19 - Investment Advisor - November 2023

Community Impact

a challenge that will require all of us to solve. Excell REPRESENT neurs to help them scale their businesses and access capital. It also
brought together a community whose goal was to identify ways partnered with Philadelphia Youth Basketball, a local nonprofit,
to help the industry recruit more women and help firms grow to deliver financial literacy workshops to their summer camp
more forward-thinking, inclusive cultures. From the event came participants who were 10 to 14 and came from households with an
REPRESENT Study Groups, quarterly meetings guided by subject average total income of less than $60,000. And the firm delivered
matter experts and comprising advisors who focus on growth, a pro bono financial education workshop for its client, Blackstar
leadership, operations and planning for women in the industry. Projects, a minority-managed nonprofit seeking to invest in its staff.

new Hope Group – thrivent IndIvIdUALs
Generosity is a key component of
Thrivent’s culture. The firm facilitates Asset/Portfolio Management & Custodial Firms
volunteer opportunities for clients, and gives its employees time off
to serve in their communities. Thrivent’s financial professionals help dan Chung, Fred Alger Management
clients incorporate giving within their financial plans and find invest- Chung is an advocate for giving back to his com-
ments that align with their priorities and values. Thrivent Action munity in New York City. In May 2022, he and
Teams can help clients make a difference by having them gather a Alger earned the Brooklyn Without Borders
team of friends, family or neighbors to put on a fundraiser, educa- medal from Brooklyn Hospital for their contri-
tional event or service activity. Thrivent will provide the resources butions to the hospital’s Covid ward. He supports Apex Youth, a
they need to get started, including up to $250 in seed money. nonprofit organization that serves Asian and immigrant youth in
New York by focusing on health and well-being, education and
north star resource Group community engagement through mentorship. He also contributes
North Star Resource Group’s vision is embod- to the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, a youth programming
ied in its slogan “Changing Lives. Forever.” It group that offers development opportunities to underserved
does this by connecting with and driving posi- middle school-through-college students. In early 2023, Chung was
tive diversity/equity/inclusion change in the named board trustee for the Nature Conservancy in New York.
firm. It also supports the BestPrep eMentors
volunteer program, which pairs each team member or financial darin M. ely, virginia Asset Group
advisor who chooses to participate with a local high school Ely is a founding member of the board of directors
student with the goal of increasing his or her awareness and of Safe House Project, which serves survivors of
preparation for a variety of professional development subjects, child trafficking across the U.S. Under his leader-
with a particular focus on financial literacy. North Star donates ship as treasurer, the project’s revenue grew from
10% of profits to organizations that are meaningful to its advisors $161,705 in 2018 to $2,371,108 in 2022. In 2022 as well, he helped
and teams. oversee the financial planning and development of a $1 million
donation intended for an endowment. This growth has allowed
signature estate & Investment Advisors Safe House Project to train some 270,000 people to increase iden-
During the past year, after SEIA secured tification of trafficking, serve 440 survivors escaping trafficking
an investment from Reverence Capital and increase the capacity of safe housing by 371 beds for 135,000
Partners, the firm’s president and chief executive Brian Holmes and safe nights annually.
his fellow founding partners donated $1 million to the Signature
Fund for Giving, its charitable foundation, which launched in 2011 Carey McKenzie, t. rowe Price
to support local youth in Southern California. Since its inception, At T. Rowe Price, McKenzie is part of the Black
the fund has raised some $1,241,000 and granted nearly $1 million. Leadership Council, which helps define the firm’s
The fund utilizes the combined efforts of fundraising, employee efforts to attract, develop, promote and retain
volunteer participation and in-kind donations. Its vetting process Black associates. He is also a board member and
ensures that assets are allocated only in accordance with strict has served 24 years as co-director of the Baltimore Children’s
regulatory standards. Peace Center, a nonprofit that sponsors All God’s Children Camp
for youngsters from diverse backgrounds. His biggest achieve-
Zenith Wealth Partners ment has been returning the camp to near pre-pandemic levels
Zenith Wealth partnered with the Enterprise of participation. In preparation for camp in 2022, Carey and his
Center and the Philadelphia 76ers basketball staff engaged social workers and other resources to understand,
team to deliver its business advisory services prepare for and deal with challenges arising from children’s
to hundreds of early-stage minority entrepre- pandemic-related trauma.

November 2023 Investment AdvIsor 17