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Wheelock College to Honor Inspirational Leaders for Making a Difference
Wheelock to celebrate Born This Way Foundation and Shining Hope for Communities at the 2015 Passion for Action Leadership Award Dinner.
On Wednesday, November 18, 2015, Wheelock College will honor two sets of partners with the 2015 Passion for Action Leadership Award for their commitment to improving the lives of children and families. Born This Way Foundation – co-founded by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta – will be recognized for its work supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of youth. Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner Odede will serve as keynote speakers. Wheelock is proud to celebrate their passion for empowering girls in underserved areas in Kenya through their non-profit Shining Hope for Communities.
The fifth biennial Passion for Action Leadership Award Dinner will be held at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum from 6 to 9pm. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Passion for Action Scholarship Program for deserving Wheelock students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to community service and social justice.
“We are thrilled to be honoring four visionaries who are making lasting impacts on the lives of children and families.” said Jackie Jenkins-Scott, president of Wheelock College. “I am very proud that Wheelock’s own Zachary Kerr ’17 will be accepting the award on behalf of Cynthia Germanotta and Born This Way Foundation. Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner Odede are true inspirations through their creation of Shining Hope for Communities. Both organizations are making remarkable impacts in supporting the wellbeing, empowerment and education of our youth.”
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Cynthia Germanotta, president and co-founder of Born This Way Foundation, and mother of acclaimed singer and songwriter Lady Gaga, is being honored for her tremendous work “…supporting the wellness of young people, and empowering them to create a kinder and braver world”[1] Passion for Action Scholar Zachary Kerr ’17 is a Born This Way Foundation Youth Advisory Board member and will be accepting the award on Germanotta’s behalf. A Methuen native, Kerr has been celebrated nationally for his LGBTQ activism with the TeenNick HALO Award from Nickelodeon. He works with Greater Boston PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and serves as President of Wheelock’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Keynote speakers Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner Odede have co-authored a book, Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss and Hope in an African Slum which is being published by Harper Collins in October. It is the tale of two young people from completely different worlds: Kennedy Odede from Kibera, one of the very largest slums in Africa, and Jessica Posner from Denver, Colorado. Odede foraged for food, lived on the street, and taught himself to read with old newspapers. Posner first met Odede in 2007 when she was a student studying abroad in Kenya, and they fell in love. Together, they formed the nonprofit Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), which combats extreme poverty and gender inequity. Their work began with the Kibera School for Girls and is now creating transformative change through providing resources for the community to build paths out of poverty. Currently, SHOFCO is scaling this model to transform urban communities across Kenya’s urban slums and organization plans to serve well over 76,000 people this year.
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The Passion for Action Leadership Award Dinner celebrates the spirit of the College through its students and those who support its mission. Honorees of previous Passion for Action events include Year Up and its founder Gerald Chertavian (2013), Dr. Carol R. Johnson and Dr. Linda N. Nathan (both in 2011), The Lowell Family (2009), and Chris Gabrieli (2007) for their contributions to the Greater Boston community and beyond.
The event will bring together more than 400 civic leaders, corporate executives, and philanthropists to demonstrate how Wheelock educates and inspires a community of passionate students eager to lead as agents of change.
Funds raised through the event support the Passion for Action Scholarship Program for incoming Wheelock students from Greater Boston. These four-year scholarships are given to students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to community service and involvement. The scholarship is paired with a unique academic program that develops these students’ leadership and community service skills. The first Passion for Action Scholars graduated from Wheelock in May 2012, and there are currently 17 Passion Scholars enrolled, with an additional four to five scholarships awarded to each incoming class and16 alumni. To learn more about the Passion Scholars visit wheelock.edu/passionscholars.
Lead sponsor of the event is the Jenzabar Foundation. Education Equals Prosperity sponsors are the Ansara Family Fund, Sodexo and Tufts Health Plan. The Global Impact Sponsors are Hirsh Roberts Weinstein LLP and Lovett-Woodsum Foundation.
Tickets begin at $300. Information on sponsorship and tickets can be found at http://www.wheelock.edu/ passion
