Career Youth Development, Inc. (CYD) celebrated 41 years of “Love In Action” at the Annual Image Awards Dinner Friday, October 28, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. More than 300 people were in attendance including State and local dignitaries. State Representative Elizabeth Coggs served as the Mistress of Ceremony. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Chris Abele were in attendance. Mayor Barrett was named 2011 Man of the Year.
It was also the beginning of the CYD‘s “Jeannette Simpson-Robinson & Hupy and Abraham Educational Scholarship Fund,” established this year to honor local students and provide them with some monetary assistance for their future education. Hupy and Abraham donated $5,000 towards the program.
CYD Executive Director, Charles L. Walton approached Hupy and Abraham about the honors program and the desire to provide students with more than an Image Award. They wanted to offer some financial assistance towards the student’s future education. Attorney Hupy agreed to provide the funds with the understanding that the money would go directly to the students. “We believe in educating our future leaders”, said Attorney Hupy.
Students seeking scholarships must be a high school senior with a 3.0 GPA. They are required to participate in a CYD program as a volunteer doing some form of community service and they must write an essay explaining why they deserve the scholarship. “Essays are judged on life experiences and family situations,” said Charles Walton.
Ten students applied for the scholarships. Four students were selected. The recipients are Keenan Diggins, a senior atUniversitySchool. Amber Grant, a senior at Milwaukee School of Entrepreneurship. Amber plans to attendClarkAtlantaUniversity. Oswald Bwechwa Jr., a senior at Milwaukee Lutheran High School. He plans to attend Marquette or Cardinal Stritch University. Deondrae Brown, a senior at Custer High plans to attendMarquetteUniversity. The students each received $500.00 checks from Hupy & Abraham and laptop computers from Milwaukee PC.
Other Image Awards recipients were Valerie R. Daniels-Carter, President & Chief Executive Officer of V&J Holdings Companies, Inc. V&J operates over 100 Burger King and Pizza Hut Restaurants in four states. She was presented with the 41st Annual Image Award Woman of the Year 2011 and Pastor Jerry E. North Sr. was named Honorary Chaplain for 2011.