SCLC Breaks Ground for New International Headquarters

SCLC Breaks Ground for New International Headquarters

		Charles Steele, Jr., SCLC President and CEO (fifth from left), was joined in Atlanta, GA with distinguished guests during Oct. 11 groundbreaking ceremony for SCLC's new international headquarters. (PRNewsFoto/Southern Christian Leadership Conference) ATLANTA, GA UNITED STATES

ATLANTA, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/-- It's a "New Day...A New Way," as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) made history today by breaking ground for its new and much anticipated $3 million international headquarters located within the historical Auburn Avenue district in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061011/CLW077 ) SCLC President and CEO Charles Steele, Jr. was joined by the SCLC board of directors, corporate sponsors and a host of distinguished guests, including Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and dignitaries and community leaders from around the world, at today's groundbreaking ceremonies. "A lot of people doubted SCLC's significance, but I, the board of directors and the staff at SCLC never doubted our importance in the world," said Steele. "We dedicated ourselves day and night to reviving the organization that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. co-founded, and our efforts proved successful thanks to our corporate friends who helped us make today's groundbreaking possible." The new SCLC headquarters is expected to open in July 2007 when the organization hosts its national convention in Atlanta, while celebrating its 50th anniversary. The 12,500-square-foot, two-story building that will house SCLC's headquarters will be constructed on an existing vacant lot owned by SCLC on Auburn Avenue. SCLC's headquarters will occupy 6,000 square feet of the building's second floor. The remaining 6,000 square feet will be leased to retail tenants on the first floor. SCLC will collect rental revenue from these tenants to help support operations. Vernell Barnes served as the architect of the new building and H.J. Russell & Company will serve as the general contractor. "SCLC takes pride in the construction of this new headquarters building," said Rev. Raleigh Trammell, chairman of the board of SCLC. "We are blessed for the leadership of President Steele and the relationships that he has developed among corporate leaders, such as Mike Garrett, president and CEO of Georgia Power, who served as chairman of the $3 million fundraising campaign for the new building." To date, SCLC has received financial support for the fundraising campaign from the following: AGL Resources Private Foundation, Inc., Balch & Bingham LLP, BellSouth Corporation, Cousin Properties, Dr. J. David Allen, D.D.S., Georgia-Pacific, H.J. Russell & Company, IBM Corporation, SunTrust Banks, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, Troutman Sanders LLP, and Wachovia Bank, N.A. The SCLC is nonprofit, non-sectarian, inter-faith, advocacy organization that is committed to non-violent action to achieve social, economic and political justice. The SCLC consists of local chapters and affiliates from around the world that supports the mission of the international organization, and work in their own communities to implement programs such as conflict resolution, voter registration, improvement of education, and direct action against racial injustice. Established in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others, the SCLC is dedicated to promoting human rights throughout the United States and abroad.