Wight Foundation, Newark-Based Education Nonprofit, Celebrates 30th Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/15/16

CONTACT:

Hayley Mojica

+1 (973) 824-1195

hmojica@wighfoundation.org

www.wightfoundation.org

THE WIGHT FOUNDATION: Celebrating 30 Years of Making a World of Difference

NEWARK, NJ (June 15, 2016) -- The Wight Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit that gives underrepresented youth of the greater Newark area access to a boarding school education, will celebrate its 30th anniversary on June 15th at 6pm. The 30th anniversary celebration, which will be held at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel of Newark Liberty International Airport, will coincide with the Foundation’s annual Graduation Celebration. Members of The Wight Foundation family graduating from middle school, high school, college, and graduate programs will join staff and Newark community leaders to celebrate 30 years of “Making a World of Difference.” Russell B. Wight Jr., Founder and President of the Foundation, will also be in attendance.

The Wight Foundation provides opportunities for young men and women to achieve academic excellence and personal development within a boarding school environment. Special emphasis is placed on helping scholars to grow as proactive individuals, to develop leadership skills and to explore the world around them.

From its 1986 inaugural class of 5 students, the Foundation now supports over 200 High School and College Scholars by sponsoring retreats, seminars, and college advising year-round. The list of colleges and universities attended by College Scholars includes, but is not limited to, Harvard University, Wesleyan University, Rutgers University, Princeton University, University of Richmond, Columbia University, Trinity College, Yale University, and Boston College.

Alumni fully embody The Wight Foundation motto by "Making a World of Difference" in their local communities. For example, Dr. Shakirah Miller-Harrington serves as Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Irvington and Gabrielle Thomas, a 2016 Rutgers Law School graduate, is achieving her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer. In 2016, Glamour Magazine named A'Dorian Murray-Thomas one of its Top 10 College Women. Murray-Thomas, a recent Swarthmore graduate, founded the SHE Wins! leadership program for Newark girls affected by violence. Alumnus Victor Garcia is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University and recently filed a provisional patent for drugs that block a receptor for a lipid that promotes hypertension as well as other harmful disease states, including cancer. June 15th will be a remarkable event for The Wight Foundation community, as there is much to celebrate.

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For more information, please contact the Wight Foundation at (973) 824-1195.