Comcast NBCUniversal awards $30,000 in scholarships
Comcast NBCUniversal announced that it has awarded approximately $30,000 in scholarships for the 2019-2020 school year to nine Delaware students as part of its annual Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program.
Students were selected for their outstanding community service, academic performance and leadership skills. The award, funded by the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, is a one-time, $2,500 scholarship to be used toward undergraduate education-related expenses. Since 2001, more than $33 million has been awarded to nearly 30,000 high school seniors across the country as part of the Leaders and Achievers program.
“Our Leaders and Achievers scholarship winners are exceptional students who are committed to academic excellence and community service,” said Sean Looney, Vice President of Government Affairs, Northeast Division, Comcast. “We are honored to recognize their achievements and excited to support them as they continue their educational journeys.”
Comcast, joined by Delaware Governor John Carney, recognized the students on the floor of the General Assembly on Thursday, June 6.
One student, Maredy Felipe-Lucas, a resident of Bridgeville and student at Sussex Technical High School, was selected to receive a $10,000 Comcast Founders Scholarship – instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, founder and chairman emeritus of Comcast.
WSFS associates present $5,000 to youth leadership group
WSFS Bank associates presented a total of $5,000 to HOBY Youth Leadership in Delaware and Southeastern Pennsylvania that will help fund the participation of low-to-moderate income students in the HOBY Youth Leadership Seminar.
This three-day program, designed for high school sophomores, helps students recognize their leadership talents and to apply them as they strive to become ethical leaders in their home, school, workplace and community, a release stated.
The donations, $2,500 to HOBY in Pennsylvania and $2,500 to HOBY in Delaware, were presented at the HOBY Delaware Leadership Seminar, which was held June 7-9 at Wesley College in Dover.
The Bank’s top five volunteers made the check presentations on behalf of their fellow WSFS Associates who volunteered over 14,000 hours throughout the Greater Delaware Valley in 2018. In honor of their dedication to community and volunteerism, the top five volunteers selected HOBY in Delaware and Pennsylvania to receive this donation, which will provide local students with the skills and leadership development to succeed.
“We’re thrilled to make this donation in support of HOBY and the great work they’re doing for our communities’ youth. Our WSFS volunteers, as exampled by our top five, live our mission, ‘We Stand For Service,’ and strengthen our communities every day,” said Vernita Dorsey, senior vice president and director of community strategy at WSFS Bank.
WSFS Bank Associates volunteer through Team WSFS, the WSFS corporate volunteer program that encourages and enables Associates to volunteer. Bank Associates receive up to four hours of compensated time monthly for their volunteering activities.
Fund for Women awards grants
The Delaware Fund for Women at the Delaware Community Foundation has awarded $168,595 this year to 12 Delaware nonprofit organizations statewide.
Each recipient organization addresses the Fund for Women’s mission to empower women and girls in Delaware to achieve their potential. This year’s grantees are:
Catholic Charities, Inc. – $15,000
To fund supportive services in the Bayard House Youth Project, which provides a homelike environment for Delaware’s homeless, pregnant and parenting youth (ages 16-21) and their dependent children, to promote a successful transition to self-sufficiency, sustainable living and well-being.
Delaware Center for Justice – $15,000
To enhance the existing pre-release and re-entry programming, providing gender-responsive, trauma-informed and evidence-based care management to jailed and recently released women in New Castle County.
Family Promise of Northern New Castle County, Inc. – $14,997
To provide supplies to families that have overcome homelessness and moved back into housing.
Fresh Start Scholarship Foundation – $15,000
To provide scholarships to Delaware women based on financial need, academic history and personal motivation. Each scholar is paired with a mentor. The graduation rate exceeds 70 percent.
Nanticoke Health Foundation – $14,908
To provide breast cancer screenings for black women age 40 or older, or for those younger than 40 who are at high risk for breast cancer.
National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Delaware Chapter, Inc. – $15,000
To fund the Mary Anne Shadd Cary and Margaret Rose Henry Civic Engagement Program, a statewide leadership development and empowerment project targeting women. The outcome is to increase women’s active engagement in local, state and federal affairs to impact the living conditions of brown and black communities.
Planned Parenthood of Delaware – $14,950
To support the Teen Council, which empowers teens to educate their peers, families and communities about human sexuality and healthy decision making, while inspiring teens to use their voices to advocate for justice, equality and access to sex education.
Ronald McDonald House of Delaware – $15,000
To provide housing and support services to Delaware mothers with infants in the neonatal intensive care units at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington or at Christiana Hospital in Newark.
Serviam Girls Academy – $14,440
To fund the Strategic STEM Initiative to improve tech literacy, increase exposure to STEM fields and maximize efficiency in tech management programming to prepare students for success in the 21st century.
STEHM, Inc. – $4,300
To fund the Financial Independence Program, which provides homeless women in the transitional housing ministry with core money management skills by working one-on-one with a certified financial coach and attending workshops.
Survivors of Abuse in Recovery, Inc. (SOAR) – $15,000
To provide mental health counseling free of charge to female victims of sexual abuse so they can cope with the trauma of their past and become empowered to believe in themselves and thrive.
UrbanPromise Wilmington – $15,000
To fund the UrbanPromise Street Leader Young Women’s College Readiness & Retention Program. StreetLeaders are teens employed as junior counselors in after-school programs and summer camps. Young women are provided with mandatory tutoring, mentoring, college tours and cultural activities.
Sneaker donation raises fund for public schools
Lapstone & Hammer gave away three pairs of the Travis Scott Air Jordan 1 to raise funds for two local public schools with programs in motion that needed help.
For this fundraiser, they partnered with United Way of Delaware who, through their Step On It initiative, identified schools with specific programs that help build the foundation necessary to provide the additional skill development, support, and career engagements for young students living in the highest need areas.
A check presented to Bayard Middle School in Wilmington. Proceeds will support the expansion of a clean uniform closet program, enabling all students who are unable to buy or launder their own school uniforms to have clean clothes for school. Proceeds will also go towards upgrading and providing additional resources for the school library.
