For Immediate Release
February 22, 2006

Citations from the President's Volunteer Service Awards

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Dr. Carl Anderson

Carl is a volunteer with the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity's Alumni Chapter in Washington D.C. Twenty-two years ago, he helped create the Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund, a scholarship program for deserving seniors attending public high schools in the District of Columbia. Each scholarship recipient must demonstrate financial need, have a grade point average of 2.5 or higher, and be involved in school and community activities. Carl served for ten years as president of the endowment fund, which has awarded $540,000 in scholarships to more than 300 promising students. Funding for the scholarships is generated, in part, from the annual Celebrity Auction and Soul Food Feast. Carl has been chairman of this event for 22 years.

Katie and Karl'Nequa Ball

Katie and Karl'Nequa are sisters who volunteer with Mississippi Youth Engaged in Service, a program that trains ninth- through twelfth-graders to be service leaders in their schools and communities. Following Hurricane Katrina, Katie and Karl'Nequa participated in a day of service in Biloxi, Mississippi, helping to remove debris from yards and homes impacted by the storm. Katie and Karl'Nequa have each volunteered more than 150 hours with Mississippi Youth Engaged in Service.

Katie, a high school sophomore, has developed a youth program that raises awareness about people living with disabilities. She has volunteered for two years at an assisted living complex for the disabled and has planned craft projects and holiday dinners for the residents.

For three years, Karl'Nequa, a high school junior, has been a leader in planning the Mississippi Youth Service Summit in which more than 400 elementary and middle students statewide celebrate volunteerism and service-learning.

Steve Ellis

Steve has been a volunteer for seven years with the National Black Family Technology Awareness Program sponsored by IBM. This program provides African American families with access to technology training, promotes the importance of technology education, and encourages students to pursue careers in science and engineering. Steve coordinates the program in six schools and community centers in the Dallas/Fort Worth-Metroplex area and teaches basic and advanced computer classes to parents and students in elementary, middle, and high schools. Steve has also been a mentor for four years at the Boys and Girls Club of Plano.

Joan Thomas

Joan is a co-founder of Cool Girls, Inc., and has volunteered for 16 years with Cool Sisters, a one-on-one mentoring program of Cool Girls, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1989, Joan was matched through this program with Erica Turner, an at-risk nine-year-old. As a mentor, Joan focused on academics, personal accountability, tough love, and friendship. Through the years, Joan has become a friend, supporter, and role model who has challenged Erica to believe in herself and her ability to achieve success in life. In 2002 Erica became the first person in her family to graduate from college. She works as a programming analyst at Georgia Pacific Corporation and has followed in her mentor's footsteps as a Cool Girls volunteer.

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