NAACP to host 3rd annual scholarship event
Young
Calderon
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
NAACP Youngstown Chapter 3207 will host its third annual Rev. Elizabeth Powell Scholarship brunch and program at 10 a.m. Saturday at Third Baptist Church, 1177 Parkhill Drive. The Rev. Dwayne D. Heard, pastor of Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church, will be the main speaker.
The program will recognize eligible high school seniors for their academic achievement, and will give awards providing them with funds to assist in their continuing education. Four scholarships of $1,000 each were awarded last year.
Additional speakers are Gabriel Young, a leader and advocate for children, and Jose Calderon, an accounting major at Kent State University, Kent.
Young, 18, has lived in more than 20 foster homes, and has persevered to become a passionate voice for foster care youth. He also is president of Overcoming Hurdles on the Ohio Youth Advisory Board, a state wide organization of young people ages 14 through 24 who have experienced foster care. The board’s mission is to influence policies and practices that affect all youth in Ohio who have or will experience out of home care.
Young also serves as president of Mahoning County Youth Advisory Board which provides education, advocacy, support, training and awareness of government systems. It also strives to change negative perceptions of youth who are in foster care.
Young is enrolled in an online school while working part-time. He has been accepted to Sullivan University in Louisville, Ky., where he plans to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Calderon, a 2014 graduate of Boardman High School, now a sophomore at KSU, is vice president of Delta Upsilon Fraternity, one of the university’s oldest fraternities. His studies focus on investment banking, trading securities, private equities and wealth management. He plans to move to New York City and work on Wall Street after graduation.
Chaney Visual and Performing Arts School will provide a dance routine. Chaney VPA offers studies in dance, drama/theater, visual art, vocal music, band, orchestra/instrumental music, creative writing, multimedia and commercial art. It also includes new courses in stagecraft, music composition and costume design.
For information call NAACP Youngstown, 330-782-9777.