Urban League Of Portland Fair To Give Away $25,000 In Scholarships -03/30/22
Key Highlights:
• MEDIA ADVISORY: The League’s President & CEO Nkenge Harmon Johnson will celebrate with three scholarship winners and honor the memory of longtime volunteer Nella Mae Dickson during a Resource Fair, Thursday, March 31, 2022, at Pioneer Courthouse Square at 701 SW 6th Ave. A program will begin at 1:30 p.m. for less than an hour to present the winners to members of the public and community leaders.
• President Harmon Johnson will be joined by special guests including members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the Portland City Council, Metro Council, Columbia Bank and Oregon Health and Science University.
• ULPDX staff will be providing information about Health & Older Adult Services, Housing Outreach, Workforce & Educational Development, Youth & Families Programs.
PORTLAND – A second-place award was added this month by a selection committee of the Dickson Scott Scholarship, a new financial aid opportunity by the Urban League of Portland, bringing the total to $25,000 for promising students. The winners will be announced during a Resource Fair, Thursday at Pioneer Square in Downtown Portland.
The two winning recipients--who will receive each a $10,000 award--study medicine and major in biology and Spanish. The second-place winner, who studies business, will receive $5,000. The committee reviewed applications from students younger and older than 23 years of age.
“It’s the first year we offer these scholarships, and all of the applications shined with promise,” said President and CEO Nkenge Harmon Johnson. “The demand for financial assistance for the region’s Black students is clear, and so, we are extremely thankful and fortunate to have the resources to provide some relief to the winners as they pay for the rising costs of a college education.”
The Urban League of Portland in collaboration with the Urban League of Seattle, Urban League of Tacoma, and the NAACP Tacoma received funding from Columbia Bank in 2021. President Harmon Johnson determined the scholarship would be dedicated to a lifelong supporter and volunteer of the Urban League, Mrs. Nella Mae Dickson, and that the amount must make a real impact.
Nella Mae Dickson, originally from Tyler, Texas, began her career in education in the Lone Star State, then a stint with the Job Corp., which brought her to work in Washington and later Oregon. She retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after 39 years of service. Mrs. Dickson a lot of her free time volunteering with the Urban League of Portland.
She had a heart for mentoring numerous children and was constantly encouraging them to do their best and the possibility to realize their dreams and goals. One of the things most remembered about Mrs. Dickson was her unselfish love for her family, and she would always look forward to returning to Texas for family reunions.
Thursday’s event will be catered by Gourmet Brothers Catering, a Black-owned business specializing in comfort food and BBQ, and the League will post up several information booths with staff ready to answer questions about Community Health & Older Adult Services, Housing Assistance & Outreach, Workforce Development, Youth and Education Programs.
The Urban League of Portland’s mission is to empower African Americans and others to achieve equality in education, employment, health, economic security, and quality of life. Founded in 1945, the Urban League of Portland is one of the oldest civil rights and service organizations in the area.
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