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More than $300,000
Raised to Benefit the Pontiac Promise Zone
Click here for the 2009 Black Tie
Gala photos.
PONTIAC — As Gov. Jennifer
Granholm took the stage to address a crowd of more than 300 guests at the POH
Riley Foundation’s 7th Annual Black Tie Gala, she quickly pointed out
that the room was filled with democrats, republicans and people from all walks
of life.
“It doesn’t matter which party you are affiliated with
when it comes to helping students,” Granholm said. “The attendance tonight shows
that we all want to see Pontiac students prosper, and I applaud the individuals
and organizations that have vowed to make the Pontiac Promise Zone a
success.”
“Move over Kalamazoo!” Granholm added. “Pontiac is on
your tail and we’re not going to stop until every student in the Pontiac School
District has a free college education.”
Black Tie Gala Supports
Pontiac Youth
The POH Riley Foundation’s
7th Annual Black Tie Gala was held November 6, 2009 at
The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. VIP and Celebrity Guests who attended the
event included: Governor Jennifer Granholm; Tim Melton, State Representative; L.
Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive; Judge Leo Bowman, Oakland County
Circuit Court; Leon Jukowski, Pontiac Mayor-elect; and Dr. Thomas Maridada II,
Superintendent of Pontiac Schools.
Paula Tutman, WDIV Local 4 News
Reporter, served as the Mistress of Ceremonies. The elegant affair began with a
VIP celebrity and sponsor reception at 5:30 p.m. Guests enjoyed a live and
silent auction, hors
d'oeuvres, fine dining and live
entertainment by The Jerry Ross Band.
A portion of the event proceeds
were donated to the Pontiac Promise Zone Scholarship Fund. Modeled after the
Kalamazoo Promise, the Pontiac Promise Zone legislation was authored by State
Rep. Tim Melton–29th District representing Pontiac and Auburn Hills,
to cover the cost of tuition for
all Pontiac students to have access to postsecondary education. An estimated
$750,000 is needed to start the program, which must be raised by the community.
More Than $300,000
Raised!
To date, more than
$300,000 has been raised. Donating organizations include the AT&T
Foundation, Baker College of Auburn
Hills, DeGarA P.L.L.C., Genisys Credit Union, Mayor-elect Leon B. Jukowski &
Family, Oakland Community College, Oakland University,
the POH Riley Foundation, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, the Tim Melton Foundation,
and other community supporters.
During the gala, a
check in the amount of $250,000 was presented to a special group of seven
Pontiac students titled “Pontiac Leaders in the Making.” Bobby Boutin, Sean
Branner, Josh Leidy, Jasen Sams, Khareem Slaton, Ravon Williams and Tsimour Yang
provided a presentation before the crowd on their career aspirations and how
they would benefit from the Pontiac Promise Zone Scholarship
Fund.
A Marine Biologist,
President of the United States, School Superintendent, Lawyer, Broadcast
Journalist, Nutrition Consultant, Music Teacher, and Engineer were some of the
career choices these bright young men and women vowed to achieve — with the help
of their community.
Students & Parents Are
Thankful
“I’m extremely excited
that I may have the opportunity to go to college for free,” said Tsimour Yang, a
sophomore at Pontiac High School. “I’m very thankful. This gives so many kids
the chance to achieve their goals and dreams.”
Deanna Newton and her
17-year-old daughter Ravon Williams attended the Black Tie Gala. As Ravon played
a violin before the crowd and urged community leaders to support Fine Arts, her
mother said she couldn’t have been more proud.
“As a single parent,
I’m already proud that she wants to attend college,” Newton said. “But having
the opportunity to go for free, now that’s amazing. I can’t afford thousands of
dollars every year. So this would truly be a blessing.”
Community Leaders Urge Support
“This city will never come back
unless we invest in our students,” said State Representative Tim Melton.
“I was born and raised in
Pontiac, and I was fortunate enough to have parents who could afford to send me
to college,” Melton added. “The question wasn’t ‘if’ I was going to college. It
was ‘where’ am I going to college. I want every student in Pontiac to have that
same opportunity. There is not a greater thing that we can do for these students
than to send them to college, but we need the help of everyone in this
community.”
Teresa Rodges, Executive
Director of the POH Riley Foundation and member of the Pontiac Promise Zone
Authority Board, said the POH Riley Foundation will continue to support Pontiac
youth in every way possible.
As treasurer of the Promise Zone Authority Board, Rodges
initiated the first fundraising event for the scholarship fund—“Cruising for
Education” aboard the Ovation Yacht in St. Clair Shores, which raised $50,000.
For over 50 years, POH Regional Medical Center (POHRMC)
has been dedicated to providing health care services to children and families in
northern Oakland County. In 2004, the POH Riley Foundation was formed to
assure philanthropic support for the hospital’s mission to enhance the quality
of life and health status of all people, regardless of their financial
status. Within the last two years, the POH Riley Foundation was able to
provide the following services:
- A total of $50,000 to support the Pontiac Promise Zone
Scholarship Fund
- Nearly 1,000 free mammogram screenings to underserved
women
- More than 300 free prostate cancer screenings to men
in Oakland County
- Support to the POH Children’s Clinic, which offers
free health care services to uninsured children
- Nearly $20,000 in OsteoCHAMPS scholarships to
disadvantaged high school students
- Funding for the POH Medical Mission to
Guatemala
To learn more about the POH Riley Foundation, please
visit www.pohregional.org.
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