Philanthropist Liz Thompson inspires at Mays Speaker Series event at IUI 

Liz Thompson, renowned philanthropist and co-founder and CEO of the Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education (CAFÉ) Group, shared her expertise at the Mays Speaker Series on the campus of Indiana University-Indianapolis (IUI).The Mays Speaker Series was hosted by the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy to encourage attendees to embrace community-driven leadership and leverage resources for meaningful change. The Diversity Speaker Series focuses on broadening the discussion on philanthropy and how it intersects with diversity, equity and inclusion. As founder and CEO of The CAFÉ Group, Thompson and her husband, Don, have empowered countless nonprofits. Founded in 2014, the company is committed to empowering leaders of color through mentorship, networking and funding.“There have been so many different examples of where philanthropy made a difference in my life, that I decided I wanted it to now make a difference for so many others,” Don said. “So, that’s part of my origin story.”Don and Liz connected in January of 1981. Shortly after meeting, they realized they both grew up on the same street on the north side of Chicago, Cleveland Avenue.“As it turned out, I grew up at 952 North Cleveland and (Don) grew up at 1342 North Cleveland,” Liz said. “We...