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OneSpartanburg, Inc.

With his wealth of experience and passion for equity, Dr. Booker believes in working collectively to remove divisive barriers and committing to an inclusion agenda. Under his leadership, One Acorn is leading diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for OneSpartanburg, Inc. (formerly the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce), implementing a diversity and economic inclusion strategic plan that is currently under development. 

OneSpartanburg, Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization supported through membership investment and strategic partnerships. OneSpartanburg, Inc.’s mission is to enhance the economic vitality and lifestyle environment of Spartanburg County. Learn more at onespartanburginc.com.

McMillan Pazdan Smith

Dr. Booker works closely with the architecture, planning, and design firm McMillan Pazdan Smith to capture community voices regarding the future of educational learning environments and environments that support communities. This work is part of One Acorn’s ongoing efforts to address systemic barriers with an eye on educational and environmental equity. Dr. Booker will also participate in a focus group and Superintendents’ blog series dealing with education in the time of COVID-19 and the national discussion on race.

McMillan Pazdan Smith has emerged as a regional leader in the planning, architecture, and design of educational, community, and healthcare environments for the communities they serve. Learn more at mcmillanpazdansmith.com.

ReWa

Dr. Booker will assist the ReWa Senior Leadership Team with the creation of their large-scale Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative. The session will take a deeper dive into understanding diversity and inclusion and the impact on ReWa’s internal and external stakeholders.

The group will work to develop a greater understanding of equity and ReWa’s role in answering today’s unprecedented calls for change. The session will help ReWa’s leaders become better equipped to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to its mission, vision, core values, and newly adopted strategic plan.

Located in Greenville, S.C., ReWa’s mission is to enhance the community’s quality of life by transforming wastewater into renewable resources through responsible and innovative solutions. Learn more at rewaonline.org.

Early Learning Partnership of York County (ELP)

One Acorn facilitated the Early Learning Partnership’s 2020 board retreat with a focus on exploring and understanding equity, equality, inclusion, and economic mobility and the impact on the York community.

Early Learning Partnership leaders engaged in important conversations led by the One Acorn team to help all become better equipped to advocate for a more equitable community in York County, specifically in the area of early learning. With an eye on greater board cohesion, One Acorn assisted leaders in fully understanding Early Learning Partnership’s mission, vision, and statement of beliefs and the role board members will play in making them a reality.

The Early Learning Partnership of York County (ELP) was established in 1998 to prepare York county students for successful academic careers by providing healthy development and basic foundational learning skills. Learn more at elpofyorkcounty.org.

Booker’s Soul Food Starters

One Acorn is managing the philanthropic efforts of Cultural Foods Logistics, LLC, and their new line of products, Booker’s Soul Food Starters. This work includes establishing and managing the Booker’s Soul Food Starters Education Fund through the Spartanburg County Foundation to facilitate disbursements to donation recipients.

For every Booker’s Soul Food Starter Kit purchased, the fund financially supports and furthers the education of our nation’s African American youth by donating to 501c3 charities that support African American education causes and programs. A portion of proceeds also benefits America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

With Booker’s Soul Food Starter Kits, husband-and-wife team Claude and Crystal Booker cultivated their cherished family recipes into pantry-ready seasoning kits that make it easy to prepare homecooked meals on your own. Learn more at soulfoodstarters.com.

Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute

One Acorn partnered with a dedicated group of professionals at the Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, a division of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, to bring greater awareness to our community about the critical nature of informing minorities of clinical trials for cancer research. Gibbs Cancer Center has received a significant grant for expanded cancer research for this very community. The grant is a byproduct of a federal program called The Moonshot Initiative. Moonshot was launched in 2016 by President Barack Obama to accelerate cancer research and speed up the process of eradicating cancer. The Moonshot Initiative will also advance research with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that is diagnosed 2.5 and 3.5 times more in Black men and women under the age of 50, than their white counterparts. 

Gibbs Cancer Center is a nationally recognized cancer treatment and research facility associated with the Upstate Carolina National Cancer Institute Oncology Research Program (NCORP). Locations include Greer, Spartanburg, Gaffney and Union. In 2020, a 191,000-square-foot expansion of Gibbs Cancer Center at Pelham opened, bringing clinical trials to more people in the Upstate.