How many of you out there have heard the saying, “If I can help somebody along the way, then my living shall not be in vain”? Deuteronomy 15:11 says, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you. Open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”
On Sunday, June 30, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the honorable former Mayor Sharon Pratt will serve as the keynote speaker for the Eleanor Holmes Norton Legacy Fund’s first annual “A Midsummer Fundraising Dayla (Day Celebration).”
The EHNLF is excited to announce the Dayla to be held at the University of the District of Columbia Student Center (4200 Connecticut Avenue NW). In addition to our keynote speaker, the Dayla will include an afternoon lunch, an informal fashion show presented by Dress to Manifest with local celebrity models, and a silent auction.
It is the fifth fundraiser for young women who are pursuing graduate studies in public policy or who are studying public interest law at the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law. Since its founding, the scholarship fund has awarded several scholarships annually to students studying public interest law at the UDC School of Law.
The EHNL Scholarship Fund was established in 2018 as an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of helping to cultivate the next generation of policymakers, public officials and community leaders. The goal of this group is to award scholarships to students who demonstrate the scholarship, passion, determination, and commitment to public service as embodied by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, our “Warrior on the Hill.”
As if Ward 5 Committeewoman Hazel Thomas does NOT have enough to do already, she is president of the EHNLF and coordinates the work of a team of committed women who are planning the fundraising Dayla. They are busy finalizing the details for the Dayla that will benefit many students who are first-time college graduates in their family and who often have families of their own.
Norton once said it this way:
“Thank you for the great honor of having the Fund named for me. Nothing could mean more to me. When I consider what you are doing for young women from our UDC School of Law, particularly at a time like this, at this moment in time, we are celebrating!
“This has been a tough year, particularly for young women struggling to get an education. Women are the first to have to take on new responsibilities. I am certain that’s been the case for many women, trying to get through their higher education. As a woman who attended law school when few women attended, I appreciate that the EHNL Fund awards scholarships to our UDC Law School.
“It’s tough going to college. But to make the decision to go to law school in an environment like this, your support could not mean more. As the District’s representative in Congress, I appreciate that you allow this scholarship to go to people in various public policy disciplines. We are on the brink of a new day for the District of Columbia. Polls show 54% of Americans support making the District of Columbia the 51st state.
“Thank you very much for the generosity the Eleanor Holmes Norton Legacy Scholarship Fund is doing for young women in the District of Columbia.”
We invite you to join us in helping the hometown Washington, D.C., students who need assistance by attending the Dayla or by making a contribution, large or small! Tickets are still available, if you would like to attend.
Please make your donation at https://tinyurl.com/EHNLFDayla24 or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 4515, Washington, D.C. 20017.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on Twitter @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.
