The North Bay Black Chamber of Commerce will host its annual fundraising dinner on May 24 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Paradise Ridge Winery, located at 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Dr. in Santa Rosa.
   The Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow Dinner celebrates the chamber’s efforts to support the development and economic growth of black businesses in the four Northern California counties it serves — Lake, Marin, Napa and Sonoma — and pays tribute to Youth Business Week.
    Organizers are hoping for more support from throughout the Bay Area.
   “We share many of the same challenges and concerns,” said one planner. “Oakland alone has over 5,000 black-owned businesses, and we are about black business development.”
    This year’s keynote speaker is Aubry Stone, president/CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce. He was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to his current position as a California Commissioner for Economic Development.
    Stone has aggressively led the California Black Chamber in such public policy issues as Proposition 187 and co-authored the Ninth Circuit Court injunction against implementation of Proposition 209. He has advocated for cleaner urban environments and spoken out against brownfields, insurance redlining and the negative inner-city impact of bank acquisitions or mergers.
    Other guest speakers will include Terry Davis, CEO of banking and business development for Summit State Bank, and Rhuenette Alums from AT&T External Affairs.
    The chamber will present a check to Youth Business Week. This nonprofit program provides a hands-on learning to local high school students in advanced business concepts, corporate citizenship and financial literacy.
    They will also make a donation to the Ben Thornton Heart Fund they established in 2006 to help pay the medical expenses of a young Sonoma County boy.
    Other event highlights include gourmet dining, wine tasting, an auction with vacation getaways and a raffle.
    The North Bay Black Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit organization, was established in 2003 to advocate for businesses to local, regional, state and national regulatory bodies on business-related issues and to promote events and programs that enhance the business community.
    For more information, call (888) 846-5155 or visit www.nbbcc.org.