Annual Celebration

First Generation College Bound  celebrated two decades of helping young people to attend college at its 20^th Annual Celebration on  June 16, 2010 at The Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center at the University of Maryland College Park.

Four hundred people attended the Celebration, including 31 college-bound high school graduates and 11 FGCB alumni who had just graduated from college or completed graduate degrees.

The guest speaker was Leon Harris, award-winning news anchor for ABC7/WJLA-TV. Harris came to Washington after 20 years at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters, where he co-anchored “CNN Live Today” and “Prime News,” and hosted “CNN Presents” and “American Stories.”

Harris has covered a wide variety of stories including the September 11th terror strikes, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Asian tsunami of 2004, the explosion and crash of TWA Flight 800 and the Los Angeles riots. He has interviewed presidential candidates, and reported live from both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

Harris’ work has earned him multiple CableAce awards for Best Newscaster, and national Emmy Awards for coverage of the September 11th terror strikes, the Oklahoma City bombing and the 2000 presidential election. He was honored, too, with a National Headliner Award and more recently with a National Capital Area Emmy Award for Best Anchor.

A cum laude and honorary doctorate recipient from Ohio University, Leon Harris is passionate about improving the lives of children and serves on numerous charitable boards including those of For the Love of Children, Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area, and MenzFit.

Sponsors
The following generous donors sponsored the 20^th Annual Celebration:
Doctoral Graduate Level
Academy Ford (Tom Lynch Sr.)
Prince George’s County Council Chairman Tom Dernoga
Jerome Fisher
Pat Fisher
Kenneth Garrison
Mayor and City Council of Laurel
Metropolitan Dev & Construction (Frank Davis)
Pam Rockland
Revere Bank
Security Vault Works (Timothy Abell)
Leon N. Weiner & Associates, Inc. (Brent Lazar)
Master’s Graduate Level
Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel (Doris Reed)
Bormel, Grice, & Huyett, P.A.
Prince George’s County Council member Samuel Dean
Johnathan and Deborah Fisher
Walter and Margaret Flamer
Ronald Giles
Christine Hanson
Mark Johnson & Associates
John Kopolow
Prince George’s County Council member Eric Olson
Sen. Jim Rosapepe and Dels. Ben Barnes, Barbara Frush and Joseline Peña-Melnyk
Cynthia Whitlow
Bachelor’s Graduate Level
Constance Mercer
Associate’s Graduate Level
Mr. and Mrs. Eddie T. Britt
Helen Crutchfield
John and Gloria Harris
J. Donald Henyon
Michael Leszcz
Bill King
Certificate Graduate Level
Leslie and John Brinton
Eye of the Needle Embroidery (Elaine and Steve Wallis)
Chonya Johnson
Bryan Smith
Summit Financial Resources Inc. (Paul Mascia)
Haleema Treadwell
Scholar Level
Anne Baird
Carolyn A. Carter
Elaine Morse
Fran and Norm Saunders

Annual Celebration Tradition

Each June, FGCB holds a similar Annual Celebration to honor its high school graduates about to enter college and its former FGCB participants who have just earned a bachelor’s or graduate degree from a college or university. This highlight of the year has featured such speakers and emcees as former University of Maryland basketball star Len Elmore, Prince George’s State’s Attorneys Alexander Williams and Glenn Ivey, nationally prominent defense attorney Willie Gary and actor Tico Wells, as well as FGCB alumni.

2009 Celebration

On June 17, 2009, First Generation College Bound recognized nearly 100 high school and 15 college graduates at the 19th Annual Celebration. FGCB alumnus Alonzo Washington was the emcee. Alonzo graduated from University of Maryland College Park in 2007 and is now a community liaison for Prince George’s County Council member Will Campos. FGCB alumna Bridget Akintunde, who has just earned her master’s degree in healthcare administration at University of Maryland University College, was the guest speaker. To read her address, click here.