Senator Shelley Mayer presents proclamation to honor the students
At an event held at Manhattanville College on Sunday, August 21, Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation honored Manhattanville’s Clark Scholars with their Volunteer of the Year award in recognition of the work the students have done with the organization.
New York State Senator Shelley Mayer also presented a proclamation to the students for this honor.
Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation is a non-profit organization in Yonkers, NY, that works to better the lives of underserved youth.
“Fellowship, mentorship, and faith are what this amazing group of human beings exemplifies every single day, and I am so proud to honor Manhattanville Clark Scholars as Volunteer of the Year at the first ever Big Heart Cocktail Gala,” said Maddie Cheatham, chief executive officer of Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation. “Thank you for being the change you wish to see in this world and the people you needed growing up.”
As part of the presentation of the award, Cheatham also noted that, “Manhattanville Clark Scholars are a special group of social justice warriors… Compassionate, kind, and willing to go above and beyond, they not only give back within the Yonkers community, but these amazing young men and women speak up and advocate for social justice issues.”
Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “I have the deepest respect for Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation and the work they do for the community in Yonkers. It was a pleasure to recognize the evening’s honorees, including Manhattanville’s Clark Scholars, for their tireless work with the organization and for their dedication to their neighbors. The scholars are truly outstanding individuals with bright futures ahead.”
Close to 1,000 students participate in service projects as part of Manhattanville’s Clark Scholars each year for a total of 30,000 hours of service.
“All of us at the Clark Center would like to thank Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation for awarding our Clark Scholars the Volunteer of the Year Award,” said Craig Donnelly, director of the Sister Mary T. Clark, RSCJ Center for Religion and Social Justice at Manhattanville College. “It is a true honor and privilege to be recognized by one of our community partners.”
Donnelly added that the Clark Center’s four “pillars of justice” are community service, social justice, activism and advocacy, and religion and spirituality, all of which fit well with the mission of Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation.
“We are very proud of our Clark Scholars who exemplify the mission of our College through their work with Clark Center community partners,” said Manhattanville Interim President, Louise Feroe, Ph.D. “A deep commitment to service sets our students apart and we appreciate the recognition of their work by Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation and Senator Shelley Mayer.”
Maddie Cheatham, chief executive officer of Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation, added that both of the young women honored, Kaelei Lewis and Angela Arteaga, are from Yonkers and “volounteer at every one of my events, for children, girls tea parties, for boys, Yonkers boys wear ties, and in fellowship mentoring. The also volunteer at my big heart pantry and go out once a month to help the homeless. Kaelei and Angela are two social justice warriors, who are unseen but do great work. I’m so happy they are being recognized.”
This honor was given at Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation’s first ever Big Heart Cocktail Gala on Sunday, August 21st. Congratulations to all the honorees: Maria Abdullah, Diana Sanchez, David Neeman, Delfim Heusler, and Ray Wilcox.
Visit www.PamelasBigHeartFoundation.org for more information on this organization and how you can help.
