BUFFALO, N.Y., June 21, 2016—Eleven exceptional eighth grade students have been named “Promise Scholars” and awarded Buffalo Promise Neighborhood Scholarships. The awards, funded by M&T Bank, will cover the full cost of each student’s tuition to private high schools, along with additional support through Buffalo Promise Neighborhood as they progress through high school.
“The ‘Promise Scholars’ are outstanding representatives of the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, and these scholarships symbolize their hard work, determination and community contributions,” said David Chamberlain, Senior Vice President of M&T Bank and Chief Executive Officer of Buffalo Promise Neighborhood. “We offer our utmost congratulations to these students, and we look forward to observing and supporting their continued success throughout their high school careers.”
The 11 “Promise Scholar” students, who are graduating this year from either Westminster Community Charter School or Highgate Heights Elementary School, are:
- Asia Adams, attending Cardinal O’Hara High School
- Jailen Alston, attending Cardinal O’Hara High School
- Jordan Butler, attending The Park School
- Taspeya Hossain, attending Sacred Heart Academy
- Malonya Laws, attending Nardin Academy
- David Lemon, attending Nichols School
- Roland Livingston, attending Canisius High School
- Brandon Scott, attending Nichols School
- Isaiah Viverette, attending Cardinal O’Hara High School
- Ania Wright, attending Buffalo Seminary
- Sydney Wingard, attending Nichols School
The number of scholarship recipients nearly doubled in 2016, after six students received awards in 2015.
Led by M&T Bank, Buffalo Promise Neighborhood is a cradle-to-career initiative that aims to reverse the cycle of generational poverty through a pipeline of services supporting academic achievement and healthy development. The effort grew out of M&T Bank’s successful 20-year partnership with Westminster Community Charter School.
“Through our partnership with M&T Bank, schools within the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood aim to empower students to pursue their dreams and achieve academic excellence,” said Westminster Community Charter School Principal Robert Ross. “With the hard work they all invested to earn this recognition, it’s clear these Promise Scholars have extraordinarily bright futures. We congratulate our students on this incredible accomplishment and thank M&T Bank and Buffalo Promise Neighborhood for their support.”
About Buffalo Promise Neighborhood
Founded in 2010, Buffalo Promise Neighborhood is a multi-stakeholder not-for-profit organization that seeks to improve performance at neighborhood schools and transform the surrounding community by providing a continuum of solutions to children and families, including neighborhood resources, streamlining family services and improving educational supports.
BPN is a unique public/private partnership that collaborates with a broad range of partners and service providers, including businesses, block clubs, non-profits, public entities and other organizations. BPN is supported through financial and human resources generously provided by M&T Bank as well as support through the Westminster Foundation. BPN also receives funding from U.S. Department of Education and the John R. Oishei Foundation. For more information, please visit buffalopromiseneighborhood.org.
About M&T Bank
M&T is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T’s principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Trust-related services are provided by M&T’s Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank.
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Contact:
Julia Shanahan
(716) 842-5385