On July 27, 2023, at 5 pm, Heal the City will host its 4th annual scholarship reception at the Lobby Restaurant Club Downtown Trenton. The keynote speaker on that evening will be Dr. Rob Connors, co-founder of Christine Seix Academy. This year the organization is proud to highlight two scholarship recipients on the upcoming July 20, 2023, billboard featuring Greg King, Jr. who will attend Tuskegee University and Tymir Fennell who will attend Norfolk State University. Both young men are dedicated Trentonians. Greg Jr, graduated from Foundation Academies in 2020 and played football at Nassau Community College in Long Island, New York where he also received his associate degree. Fennell, a 2023 TCHS graduate played basketball for TCHS under the guidance of Darryl “Coach Pup” Young who lead his youth to the NJ Group 4 Central Jersey Sectional Champs. The billboard featuring these young men will be located on the corner of Stuyvesant Ave and Prospect Street for all to see why positive images and The Help Scholarship are important to the community.
Heal the City is an organization that focuses on youth and education that uses billboards, billboard unveiling events, movie events, live theater, along with school and community collaborations to accomplish its mission. By sponsoring the Positive Billboard Campaign, special event film showings, cultural events, and projects that emphasize education, Heal the City strives to empower the youth and residents of Trenton to inspire them to give back and help build a vibrant community.
Heal the City has collaborated with the Trenton Public Schools, Attendance Matters Campaign to create billboards that emphasize the importance of education and why showing up for school every day makes a difference.
Heal the City strongly believes that one of the ways to heal the city is to demonstrate the important part education plays in the lives in all citizens. The non profiit organization believe that an education gives options to succeed. Standing around on a city corner is not one of those options. Heal the City believe that our youth are capable of great things, but they must put in the work.
Students may choose to attend college to reach their full potential, however they may choose to go to a trade school or find a career in the military. The bottom line is the importance of youth setting goals, making decisions that impact them in a positive way, working hard, and giving back.
SEED/Heal the City has provided Help Scholarships to students in the Mercer County area for the past several years to help defray cost of books, transportation to school, move in fees and other costs like lodging for parents during their child school orientation. These are costs not normally covered by other scholarships or financial aid. Heal the City works closely with local high schools, guidance counselors, teachers, and parents/guardians to get scholarship referrals. Ten to twelve students will be selected to receive the 2023 Help Scholarship which ranges between $500 to $1,000 each.
“When it was time to take my daughter to North Carolina Central I realized how I wasn’t [prepared] financially to get her down there. I believe a lot of urban families may have that same issue. We want to be able to bless handpicked students with money to cover travel and move-in costs. Money that financial aid and scholarships may not cover,” said Heal the City Founder, Stacy Heading.
