The founders of a Cleveland technology startup company have joined together with the Cleveland chapter of Kids Against Hunger to present "Celebrating Sustainability and Entrepreneurship," an event that is promoting sustainable social enterprises. All proceeds will go towards providing nutritious meals to local families in need.

"The Cleveland chapter of Kids Against Hunger was founded by a Case Western Reserve University freshman named Aditya Rengaswamy," says Michael Giammo with Lorktech, a company that was founded by CWRU graduates. Lorktech is developing an electronic shelf label that does not require a battery for use in stores. "We're very excited about sustainability and entrepreneurship, so we said, 'Why not use the energy of our startup company to spark this charity event?'"

The event takes place on Monday, April 2nd at Thwing Ballroom on the CWRU campus. Each ticket costs $40 and purchases 200 meals for kids, Giammo says.

Speakers include Jenita McGowan, Chief of Sustainability for the City of Cleveland; Cathy Belk, Chief Relationship Officer at Jumpstart; Ian Charnas, Operations Manager at think[box]; Stephanie Corbett, Sustainability Manager at CWRU; and representatives of Lorktech and Kids Against Hunger.

"We wanted to create a company-wide culture of social entrepreneurship," says Giammo of Lorktech's decision to spearhead the event. "It's part of our business model."

Source: Michael Giammo
Writer: Lee Chilcote