PHILADELPHIA – Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia (CSFP), an organization providing scholarships for children from under-resourced Philadelphia families to attend K-8th grade tuition-based schools, celebrated its 20th anniversary on Monday at the 2022 Legacy Gala. The event took place at the Mann Center for Performing Arts and honored two decades of hope, opportunity, and success through more than 30,000 scholarships provided to students by CSFP.
“The Legacy Gala was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our organization’s accomplishments while reinforcing the important work that still needs to be done. It was a reminder to everyone in attendance that every child, regardless of their zip code, deserves a quality education. Our distinguished alumni awardee speaker, Ekram, provided proof that CSFP’s program provides a foundation for academic, economic, and social success,” said Keisha Jordan, President & CEO. “I want to thank all of our guests, sponsors, and speakers for their time and support. We have two decades of success to reflect on as we continue to push for improved options for Philadelphia’s students and raise awareness about the power of choice for parents, students and families.”
Among the highlights of the evening were several award presentations including the School Partner Award, Founding Board Member Award, and Distinguished Alumni Award. The School Partner Award recognized CSFP partner school, Visitation Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) School for their exemplary dedication to student achievement, equity in the classroom, and community service. The Founding Board Member Award recognized Steven Kapp, Betsy Longstreth, Evie McNiff, Ina Lipman, and William Sasso for guiding the organization since its founding in 2001.
The Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Ekram Ibrahim, a CSFP scholar who is currently pursuing her degree in Health and Sciences, minoring in Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and has demonstrated exemplary success through academic achievement, career accomplishments, and service to the community.
“The scholarship allowed my parents to send my siblings and me to a private school where I received numerous opportunities to advance my educational journey and work towards success. As a first-generation student from a low-income family, this would have been inaccessible without the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia’s help,” said Ekram Ibrahim, CSFP Scholar and Distinguished Alumni Award Winner. “This scholarship has helped provide great educational opportunities to families like mine, and has positively influenced my community.”
6abc Action News Co-Anchor and CSFP board member Tamala Edwards served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening, guiding attendees through an agenda packed with special recognitions and award presentations. Guests had the opportunity to hear insights into national education trends from the event’s special guest speaker, Kevin Chavous. Chavous is president of Stride K-12 Inc. and has been recognized among the nation’s leading voices for educational choice.
At the event, Jordan announced plans for the organization’s upcoming five-year comprehensive campaign to raise $100 million to increase its scholarship reach. The campaign will kick off in September.
Learn more at https://www.csfphiladelphia.org/gala/.
About Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia
Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia (CSFP) is a privately-funded program whose mission is to provide children from under-resourced Philadelphia families with financial access to quality, safe, K-8th grade, tuition-based schools, thereby increasing their long-term economic and social success. CSFP grants partial, need-based scholarships to children from under-resourced Philadelphia families, all of which are awarded by random lottery. CSFP currently serves more than 5,000 children enrolled at more than 160 private and parochial schools. For more information, visit www.CSFPhiladelphia.org.
You can make a private education possible for #PhillyKids this year! Help us provide quality, safe educational opportunities for thousands of Philadelphia students through scholarships.
