A regional Centennial Leadership Summit sponsored by Catholic Charities USA will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the Loudermilk Center in downtown Atlanta. The daylong event is one of eight across the country leading up to the organization’s centennial gathering in Washington, D.C., in September. All policy-makers, community leaders and interested persons are invited to the event.

The summit will feature a keynote address by Father Larry Snyder, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities USA, as well as several breakout sessions designed to address pressing issues facing the Catholic Church, the Southeast and the country at large.

Sessions will focus on local solutions in the strategic areas of food and hunger, housing, healthcare, education and economic security. Other speakers throughout the day will include Milton C. Little, CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Jackie Parker, vice president of Global Diversity, Michael A. Young, CEO of Grady Health Systems, and Bill Bolling, executive director of Atlanta Community Food Bank, among others.

The day will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and an opening prayer led by Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory at 9 a.m. The remainder of the day will be split into panel discussions and breakout sessions, ending with a networking reception at 4 p.m.

In addition to local nonprofit agency leadership and staff, Catholic Charities Atlanta is inviting leading businesses, organizations and foundations to discuss success stories and best practices that have creatively and effectively worked locally to reduce poverty. These programs and services will be shared in large panel discussions and smaller breakout sessions in an effort to foster new partnerships between local stakeholders throughout the Atlanta metro area and Southeast region.

“In 2010, our centennial year, we celebrate members’ work to bring dignity and respect to all people and advocate the broader community to live a life of justice and social concern,” the Catholic Charities Web site states. “It is also a time to plan for the next 100 years. We need your help as we continue to work to reduce the threat of poverty in America.”