Friday, December 1, 2006

Please Welcome Frank Cruz , Executive Director

Frank joins the Boston Scholars Program team having just graduated from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education where he received his Master of Education and before that the John F. Kennedy School of Government where he received his Master in Public Administration. Frank decided to get his two Masters degrees after a strong career spent as a senior administrator who helped build Prep for Prep, a nonprofit similar to Boston Scholars that identifies and prepares minority youth for success in independent high school and college.

Frank embodies so many of the elements that Boston Scholars strives to build in each of its Scholars. Born and raised in the South Bronx section of New York City, Frank’s willingness to challenge himself academically led him to accept a scholarship to attend independent school in Manhattan and later boarding school. During his four years at the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, Frank excelled in class, sports and community service. His drive and preparation led him to become a first generation college graduate. After completing his undergraduate degree at Princeton University, Frank continued his involvement in leadership development work with low-income youth by founding major divisions and components of Prep for Prep in New York City.

Over for the greater part of 15 years, Frank served in a variety of positions including Deputy Executive Director for Leadership Development and Deputy Executive Director for Alumni Affairs. At one point, Frank headed up one-third of the 50-team organization, supervising staff and counseling for Prep grades 10-12, undergraduates and all work with college graduates. Always remembering the community of his childhood, Frank took a two-year hiatus from the nonprofit world to do political work in the Bronx. During that time, Frank ran for the New York State Assembly as a Candidate for the 79th Assembly District, Bronx, New York. Frank is happy to lead the Boston Scholars Program to greater success each year.

Friday, October 27, 2006

2nd Annual Boston Scholars Halloween Party a Success

The powerful crowd of over 200 business leaders, educators, graduate students, and young professionals, gathered in costume at MANTRA October 27 and raised funds to support the Boston Scholars Program, making it once again Boston's Best Halloween Party!

Thanks to event sponsors Keds Corporation, Edwards Angell, Palmer & Dodge LLC, and MANTRA.

Click here to see photos from the event.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Keds Partners With Boston Scholars at a Cool Halloween Party

Keds Cares Campaign Supports the Boston Scholars Program 2nd Annual Halloween Party Fundraising Event - Click here for event photos

Taking a cue from their ad campaign titled "be cool," the Keds Corporation today announced their support of a cool event – the Boston Scholars 2nd Annual Masquerade Party, which is a Halloween costume fundraising party to benefit the Boston Scholars Program held at 9pm on Friday, October 27 at MANTRA in Boston.

This Masquerade Party continues the collaboration between Keds and Boston Scholars that began this summer, when Keds implemented a unique mentorship program -- "Keds Shadow Days" -- during which Boston Scholars spent time at the company's headquarters in Lexington, Mass., and "shadowed" staff members throughout their workdays to gain exposure to the day-to-day activities of a major corporation.

"We are thrilled to have Keds as a corporate partner supporting our annual Halloween costume party," said Mike Volpe, co-founder and member of the board of directors of the Boston Scholars Program. "It's refreshing to work with a corporation that shares our philosophy for not only giving back to the community, but also that will actively participate in programs and events to provide that support."

"Keds is excited to partner with the Boston Scholars Program, a great organization that is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to local students" noted Shawn Neville, president of Keds Corporation.

The Boston Scholars 2nd Annual Masquerade Party will be held on Friday, October 27 at 9pm at MANTRA at 52 Temple Place in Boston, Mass. Tickets are available in advance for $25 and at the door for $35, more information on the event and how to purchase tickets is available at http://bostonscholars.org/Bostons_Best_Halloween_Party_2006.html

About The Keds Corp.
The Keds Corp. is a subsidiary of The Stride Rite Corporation, a company that markets the leading brand of high quality children's shoes in the United States. Other footwear products for children and adults are marketed by the Company under well-known brand names including Keds, Pro-Keds, Saucony, Sperry Top-Sider, Tommy Hilfiger, Grasshoppers and Munchkin. Information about the Company is available on website - www.strideritecorp.com. Information about the Company's brands and product lines is available at www.striderite.com, www.keds.com, www.saucony.com, www.ProKeds.com, www.sperrytopsider.com and www.grasshoppers.com.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Keds Corporation Partners with Boston Scholars Program

Keds Cares Campaign Supports Local Educational Initiative for Kids

Taking a cue from their ad campaign titled "be cool," the Keds Corporation today announced one of their coolest collaborations yet - a partnership with the Boston Scholars Program.

As part of its partnership with the Boston Scholars Program, Keds will sponsor several of the organization's key events. Keds will also implement a unique mentorship program - "Keds Scholar Shadow Days" - during which Boston Scholars spend time at the company's headquarters in Lexington, Mass., and "shadow" staff members throughout their workdays. These Shadow Days will allow students to gain exposure to the day-to-day activities of a major corporation. The partnership kick-off event will be a Community Service Day at the Boston Nature Center this summer. Each Scholar will work with representatives from Keds as well as their individual mentors to help maintain the sanctuary's appearance. As is the goal of all the Program's Scholar-focused events, this outing will teach the kids teamwork and leadership skills as well as provide them with an opportunity to learn about the Nature Center. Keds will also support the organization's flagship event, the Annual Masquerade Party on Saturday, October 28, 2006 to help raise funds and awareness.

"As part of the Stride Rite Corporation, we at Keds are committed to being an active participant in our local community, and we can't think of a better way to do that than to support the development of today's youth," noted Shawn Neville, group president of Keds and Saucony. "By becoming actively involved with these amazing students, together with the Boston Scholars Program, hopefully we are able to impress upon these Scholars the values they personally strive to live by everyday, and inspire them to continue their pursuits to further their education."

"We are thrilled to have Keds as a corporate partner," said Rob Higby, Executive Director on the Board of Directors of the Boston Scholars Program. "It's refreshing to work with a corporation that shares our philosophy for not only giving back to the community, but also in providing kids with opportunities that will give them the tools they need to be successful, productive leaders, and mentors, for the rest of their lives."

About The Keds Corp.
The Keds Corp. is a subsidiary of The Stride Rite Corporation, a company that markets the leading brand of high quality children's shoes in the United States. Other footwear products for children and adults are marketed by the Company under well-known brand names including Keds, Pro-Keds, Saucony, Sperry Top-Sider, Tommy Hilfiger, Grasshoppers and Munchkin. Information about the Company is available on website - www.strideritecorp.com. Information about the Company's brands and product lines is available at www.striderite.com, www.keds.com, www.saucony.com, www.ProKeds.com, www.sperrytopsider.com and www.grasshoppers.com.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Boston Magazine's Most Wanted Singles Event Benefits Boston Scholars

Julia Perkins was recently named one of Boston Magazine's Most Wanted Singles. On Thursday, June 8th, Julia and the other singles were auctioned off for dates at Gypsy Bar in Boston, and the Boston Scholars Program was selected as the recipient of all of the proceeds from Julia's auction. Click here to read the article on Julia from Boston Magazine.

Monday, June 5, 2006

Boston Scholars Welcomes Our Newest Employee - Laurine Lamour

Laurine Lamour joined the Boston Scholars Program as our Program Manager. In this position, she will focus on developing the program and managing the Boston Scholars experience for our Scholars, Mentors, and families. Originally from East Boston, Laurine comes with a passion for providing educational opportunities for Boston-area youth. Laurine joins us after exploring a career in law at firms such as Sullivan and Worcester LLP and Wilmer Cutlering Hale and Dorr LLP and at the Boston Bar Association. Laurine attended Hamilton College with a full-tuition Posse Scholarship and graduated with a major in English and a minor in Economics. For a complete profile of Laurine, please click here.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Golf Event Raises $56,000 for the Mike Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Fund

The second Mike Sullivan Memorial Golf Tournament, held in conjunction with RFID Journal LIVE! 2006, raised more than $56,000 for the Mike Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Fund. Created under the Boston Scholars Program, the fund helps underprivileged students in the Boston area succeed in high school and get into college. Click here to see some of the photos from the event.

"We're very proud to have been able to support this event and give something back to the community," said Mark Roberti, founder and editor of RFID Journal, which co-hosted the golf tournament with several friends of Mike Sullivan.

In 2005, Mike Sullivan suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away. Prior to his death, he had been working with the team at Gillette and was active in EPCglobal's standards work. Sullivan was a Canadian, raised in Montreal, who graduated from City and Gill College in Cork, Ireland, and spent the past 21 years of his life in Northborough, Mass. There, he enjoyed an illustrious technical career at Digital Semiconductor and Intel.

Last year, in memory of their friend, several executives at Gillette partnered with Boston Scholars to create the Mike Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Fund. Starting with the inaugural golf tournament in September 2005, they raised $20,000, which is being used to fund several Mike Sullivan Scholars through the Boston Scholars Program. The success of that initial event was largely due to the strong individual and corporate support of leaders in the RFID industry. Such support proves Mike's lasting personal and professional impact and influence.

By partnering with RFID Journal to open the RFID Journal LIVE! 2006 Conference & Exhibition with this year's golf tournament, Mike's friends have moved closer to their goal of creating an everlasting endowment in his honor. RFID Journal was a tournament sponsor, along with Sullivan's friend, Rob Short. The hole sponsors for the tournament included Alien Technology, " Avery Dennison, HK Systems, OAT Systems, Symbol Technologies,
ThingMagic, Tyco/ADT, VeriSign, Unisys, ODIN Technologies and Shipcom Wireless, and LXE and Sirit.

RFID Journal plans to host the next Mike Sullivan Memorial Golf Tournament in conjunction with RFID Journal LIVE! 2007, which will be held in Orlando, Fl., from April 30 to May 2, 2007. Companies interested in sponsoring the event should contact the Mike Sullivan Memorial Golf Tournament team at msmgt@bostonscholars.org or Frank Cruz at 617-226-4618.

About RFID Journal
RFID Journal LLC is the premier provider of in-depth, objective RFID information online, in print and at events. RFID Journal LLC publishes the leading RFID Web site (www.rfidjournal.com), the world's first magazine devoted solely to RFID and its many business applications (RFID Journal) and RFID Journal LIVE!, the largest and most prestigious conference and exhibition in the United States and Europe.

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Second Annual Mike Sullivan Memorial Golf Tournament

RFID Journal and the Boston Scholars Program hosted the 2nd Annual Mike Sullivan Memorial Golf Tournament at Silverstone Golf Club in Las Vegas, NV as a part of the RFID Journal Live! 2006 Conference. We enjoyed a beautiful day, good golf (by some), and fun for all. Thanks to the strong support from our sponsors and hard work from our volunteers, our fundraising effort exceeded $56,000!

Mike Sullivan worked with the Auto-ID team at Gillette and was active in EPCglobal's standardization efforts. He passed away suddenly in 2005 from a heart attack, and his friends and colleagues chose to honor his memory by creating the Mike Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit the Boston Scholars Program. Please click here for more information on the fund.

Special thanks to Tournament Sponsors RFID Journal and Rob Short and Hole Sponsors Alien Technology Corporation, Avery Dennison, HK Systems, OATSystems, Symbol, ThingMagic, Tyco/ADT, Verisign, Unisys, LXE, ODIN technologies, Shipcom Wireless, and Sirit.

Friday, February 10, 2006

A Record-breaking Fundraising Year

The Boston Scholars Program is pleased to announce that the Program surpassed its fundraising goal and raised over $200,000 in the 2005 fiscal year, more than doubling the 2004 fundraising effort.

Major donors include Keds Corporation, SolidWorks Corporation, Cabot Family Trust, Lincoln and Therese Filelne Foundation, Newman's Own, Liberty Mutual Foundation, A.C. Ratshesky Foundation, and Stephenson Pope Babcock Foundation.

We are truly grateful for all of your support.

Monday, January 30, 2006