Interested in joining the 2021 SCP Annual Scholarship Fund Selection Committee? Click here to learn more.
At Strategic Community Partners, we believe in leading with passion, excellence, integrity, and equity to build opportunity with and for communities. But this mission isn’t just ours - it’s all of ours.
Every day we see individuals and organizations within our community working alongside us towards this goal and striving for equity in their personal and professional lives. They are the lifeblood of our neighborhoods and help drive meaningful change for those around them. The Strategic Community Partners Annual Scholarship Fund aims to acknowledge and uplift youth and community leaders who are living this work and leading by example with passion, excellence, integrity, and equity.
This year, the SCP Annual Scholarship Fund features three opportunities, each with its own unique focus and impact area. Individuals that match the application criteria can apply using the links below. Community members can also nominate potential candidates and a member of our team will reach out to the nominee with additional application instructions.
Scroll down to view the criteria for this year’s awards and scholarships along with links to the nomination and application forms.
Stay tuned as we unveil the 2021 recipients on Tuesday, August 31!
For questions or inquiries about the SCP Annual Scholarship Fund, please contact Caleb Conley (caleb.conley@strategiccommunitypartners.org)
2021 AWARDS aND SCHOLARSHIPS
The Liberation Award and Scholarship
Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Description: Supporting our youth is incredibly vital! This scholarship is intended to provide resources for a young person excelling without family support and can be used for college tuition, as well as expenses beyond the classroom including, but not exclusive to: rent, living expenses, educational conferences, instructional programs related to creative or artistic pursuits, graduate exam application fees, or textbooks.
The Village Award
Grant Amount: $500
Description: It takes a village to raise our youth—and teachers are an undeniable part of the village. We know that, on average, teachers spend $500 of their personal money each school year on essential items for their classrooms. This scholarship award can be used for classroom/teacher supplies, including but not limited to: art supplies, books, clothes for students, etc.
The Community Keeper Award
Grant Amount: $500
Description: We believe in lifting up those who lift up others. This scholarship will be awarded to a community member who is leading in a nonprofit or community-based organization directly serving their neighbors, bringing their community together, and inspiring others to do their part.
2020 aWARDEES
Kamari McHenry is a graduating senior at Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama, majoring in business management. He plans to use his degree to drive change in his community. Inspired by the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Kamari dreams of making an impact and leaving a similar legacy that shapes the world around him.
Outside of his studies, Kamari is also an active member of his church, where he helps to organize several community-focused events that unite members and engage the surrounding neighborhood.
Rahjinah Johnson is a passionate Detroit educator with 20 years of experience in the classroom. As a native Detroiter, she takes pride in helping to shape the city’s future as a mathematics instructor at Ann Arbor Trail Magnet Middle School on the city’s westside. Rahjinah views each of her students as precious and unique, possessing a plethora of gifts and talents that she helps to craft and grow in the classroom.
As a life-long learner, Rahjinah also takes time to develop and strengthen her own teaching abilities and holds four certifications and two endorsements by the State of Michigan while consistently participating in district and state professional development opportunities. Through her work in the classroom, Rahjinah hopes to provide her students with the tools needed to drive change in the highly competitive and technological diverse world in which we live.
Avira McKelvey is a community leader and active member of Believe in the Light. Every Sunday for the last six years, Avira has helped lead a team of volunteers from the organization to deliver homecooked meals to 50 - 100 people experiencing homelessness across the city of Detroit, including in the Fitzgerald neighborhood.