Making a Difference
// OUR IMPACT
Greetings from the Pastor Dennis K Butts, Sr. & Jewrusha V. Butts Spirit of Excellence Scholarship Fund. Whether this is your first year linking arms with us or you have supported us in the past, we extend our heartfelt thanks for your support. Make no mistake, we are collectively making a difference together, as we have awarded over 70 scholarships totaling over $170,000 to students in northeast Ohio and donated over $10,000 to cancer research. It is rewarding to see previous recipients reach the finish line and already making a large impact in society.
Student Success Highlights
Gabrielle Hicks, PhD, a 2012 and 2020 scholarship recipient, who graduated as the first person in her family to receive her PhD as she graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in May 2021 from The Ohio State University. She now works as Postdoctoral Scholar and Research Specialist focused on equity and engagement for the university.
Imokhai Okolo, Esq., a 2013 and 2020 scholarship recipient, is now in his second year as an associate at Jones Day where he focuses on business and tort litigation after receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron School of Law ’20 and Bachelor of Arts from Miami University in Social Justice Studies. Beyond his professional work, he is active in the Akron community fighting for better tenant laws to support the underserved impacted by the pandemic.
Imani Womack, a 2019 and 2022 scholarship recipient, who graduated early from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Public Affairs. While active in a variety of leadership activities on campus, Imani remained focused on her education completing her degree in only 3 ½ years. She has recently started her career as a CAPD Analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Jason Render Jr., MPA, a 2017-2021 scholarship recipient, who attended the University of Akron as a student in the Williams Honors College and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science-National Security. Jason went on to receive his Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University in 2023. He plans to continue his career utilizing grassroots organizing and community development to bolster anti-poverty efforts and policies.
Kofi Boakye, a 2019 scholarship recipient, who attended Berklee College of Music and has gone on to receive a Grammy nomination, win Amateur Night at the Apollo competition, and appear in the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody this year.
These are only a few stories, and we expect to continue to report more in future year as we awarded scholarships to our largest class in 2022 to fifteen spectacular students totaling $32,000. The impact the scholarship fund continues to have is due to the generous support of partners who believe we can make an even greater difference together. We thank our generous donors and corporate sponsors for your continued support as we strive to achieve our goal of $1M in total scholarships by 2035.
