Photo courtesy of C.O.P.E.
By Calvin-Allen Miller
Contributing Writer
The Scholars of Minnesota-C.O.P.E. (Creating Opportunities for Post-Secondary Education) Project is announcing its Eighth Annual Scholarship Program/Gala scheduled for Sunday, August 4 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. This event will be held at the Airport Hilton Hotel, located at 3800 American Boulevard East, Bloomington, Minnesota.
This is C.O.P.E.’s Annual Scholarship Celebration where the proceeds will fund scholarships for the 2013 academic school year. Students will be recognized in several categories including Scholars’ ACT/SAT Perfect Attendance Awards, Outstanding Volunteer Community Service, Highest GPA, Participation Awards and other accomplishments while they are attending high school and post-secondary institutions.
In addition, a former C.O.P.E. scholar and board member, Aaron Lamar Abram, J.D., will tell his story. C.O.P.E.’s emcee for the evening will be Marcus Freeman, an alumnus from Cretin-Derham High School in Saint Paul who is currently serving as dean of students there.
Scholars of Minnesota-C.O.P.E. Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist students in the community to obtain educational opportunities, financial support and other resources they need to reach their highest academic, professional and personal goals. The organization provides after-school mentoring and college preparation for underrepresented students from the Twin Cities metro area. Since C.O.P.E.’s inception in 2006, they have assisted 190 scholars, 24 of whom have graduated from a college or university. In 2012, 26 students received awards ranging from $200 to $1,000.
In April of this year, Scholars of Minnesota-C.O.P.E. Project was one out of 850 organizations across the country to receive the Darden Restaurant Community Grant in the amount of $1,000. A $500 award went to two C.O.P.E. members: Brandon Richardson Hill from Eden Prairie High School, attending Stanford University in CA, and, Rachel Steward from Stillwater Area High, attending Inver Grove Heights Community College.
For more information about the fundraiser, including tickets prices, call 651-260-0039 or go to www.scholarsofminnesota.com. To contribute to the scholarship fund, send a check or money order payable to Scholars of MN-COPE, Post Office Box 21081, St. Paul, MN 55121-0081. You may also go the website and give through PayPal or giveMN.org.
Originally from the St. Paul suburban area, Calvin-Allen Miller is a 1999 graduate of Saint Thomas Military Academy in Mendota Heights, MN. In May 2004, he completed his BA degree in English and journalism with a minor in broadcasting from Jackson State University in Mississippi.
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