Darrel Freeman, executive chairman of Zycron, Inc., delivers his keynote address during the United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s campaign kickoff Tuesday.Zycron founder Darrell Freeman asked audience members at the United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s campaign kickoff Tuesday if they wanted to invest in prisons or in educating children, considering that most well-educated children avoid prison.
Then he told the audience of the irony he noted in a 2015 visit to Brainerd High School, when he learned that the school had no computers for students despite being in “Gig City.”
That year, Freeman, whose company is an IT consulting firm, bought 100 Google Chromebooks for the school, two in each classroom. And this year he pledged another $10,000 to early childhood education for the United Way’s 2016 campaign.
“I’ve learned that talk is cheap,” Freeman said. “When you invest in United Way’s programs, you’re investing in the future. You’re investing in hope.”
Freeman spoke to a large crowd at the Chattanooga Convention Center for the annual campaign kickoff. The organization’s goal is to raise $11 million, about $250,000 more than was contributed in 2015.