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We are pleased to
announce that Housing Opportunities Made Equal will be awarding the Joanne
Champion Granger Scholarship Award in 2004. For those of you who do not
know about this award let me share a little with you.
First let me give you a
little information of Joanne Champion Granger. She was a high school
science teacher who was active in her community. She herself experienced
housing discrimination, but did not let her negative experience affect her
outlook. Instead, she put her efforts into supporting agencies which
combated the problem of housing discrimination, such as Housing
Opportunities Made Equal, and encouraging the young people she taught.
She said: “I hope that
young people will develop a real excitement for life and the marvels of
the world around and within them. This type of excitement can only come
with the ability to see, to judge, and to respond to the world…”
Now let me tell you
about the scholarship. The scholarship will be granted to two high school
seniors who demonstrate a commitment to the ideals by which Ms Granger
lived: academic excellence, pride of work, and commitment to human
rights. The criteria for applicants is as follows: be a college bound
high school senior in Erie or Niagara County; have maintained a “B”
average (verified by a grade report); demonstrate in an original essay and
by their actions that they have a commitment to human rights and/or equal
opportunity in housing; and be nominated by school personnel or a
community leader familiar with the student’s activities.
The deadline for
applicants to submit information is February 27, 2004. There is one
first-place award of $500.00 and one second place award of $250.00. It is
the policy of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo that the award
shall not reduce any other aid provided to the student.
The award will be
presented at Housing Opportunities Made Equal’s Annual Meeting and Dinner
to be held on April 27, 2004. For those who still have questions, please
feel free to contact us at (716) 854-1400. As the deadline approaches,
you will also be able to get information and download an application from
our website at www.homeny.org. You can also request a presentation
at your school or organization about the scholarship and the important
work that it honors—the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, the work of Joanne
Champion Granger, and the work that the students themselves are doing to
further the cause of civil rights and fair housing. |
