#NoLimits: When a child is loved and can trust the adults around them, the sky is the limit. No matter their ZIP code, tax bracket or other outside forces that may inhibit their growth, children who are supported can far surpass expectations. This was the resounding sentiment at Thursday night’s Imani Gala at the Westin Convention Center, Downtown. The event raised funds for the Imani Christian Academy in East Hills, the mission of which is to embrace all children and transform them so that they may pursue a life of purpose.
“I am always blown away by what our kids can accomplish,” said Ronnell Heard, a teacher at Imani. Who says football players can’t perform in plays? Or that STEM studies are just for boys? At Imani, each child is given the opportunity to explore their passions.
Raheem Perry said, “My mother made me go [to Imani] when I was in the seventh grade. The teachers here treat you like a family. After my mom passed, I felt the love from all of them and it pushed me to succeed.” He’s now 21 and in his senior year, on a full academic scholarship, at Duquesne University, and will pursue a career in digital media arts and film.
Imani CEO Paulo Nzambi said, “I always say, education is the single most powerful tool that we have to interrupt transgenerational poverty and equip our kids for a higher quality of life. Democracy works if you have an educated populace. By investing in our young people, we are investing in ourselves.” That statement deserves an A-plus. The event raised $425,000.
#SEEN: Honorary chair Jerry MacCleary, Cliff and Cheryl Benson, Quintin Bullock, Laura Ellsworth, Doug and Kathryn Lee, Marsha Jones, David and Alicia Berardinelli, Dina Clark, Evan Frazier, Rodney Heard, John Haines, Enos Scott and Terri Ayers.
First Published: May 14, 2018, 12:00 p.m.