“Impact: Building a Better Baltimore…One Child at a Time” is the theme of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s annual fundraiser on Thursday, February 24, at 6 p.m. at the B & O Railroad Museum, 901 West Pratt Street in Baltimore.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Harold Ford Jr., executive vice chairman of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and NFTE Baltimore alumnus Jonathan Bryson will participate in a panel discussion focusing on the importance of entrepreneurship, invisible capital and the impact NFTE’s programs have had in Baltimore. The discussion will be moderated by Chris Rabb, author of “Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity.”

Several awards will be presented at the event. They include PNC Bank as Partner of the Year; Donnie Manuel, director of advertising for The Baltimore Times, as Volunteer of the Year; and Brian S. Meritt, managing director of RSM McGladrey, Inc., as Board Member of the Year.

Middle and high school student entrepreneurs who have started businesses as a result of NFTE classes will showcase their companies during the first half of the evening at a reception, followed by the panel discussion.

Sponsors of the event include M & T Bank, New Markets Venture Partners, Sage Development and Consulting, Sora Holdings LLC, Sylvan Learning and ValStone Partners.

Tickets cost $100 per person and may be purchased by visiting http://www.nfte.com/baltimore-fundraiser or by calling 410-935-9142.

NFTE provides entrepreneurship curriculum to students in middle schools and high schools in low-income communities. The organization’s Baltimore affiliate was established in 2002 and has served more than 7,000 young adults, teaching students how to start businesses--and they do. During the 2010-11 academic year, NFTE Baltimore administers programs in 24 Baltimore schools.