Coalition Scholarship Fund Raiser

(New Windsor) - The Black and Hispanic Coalition held their annual fund raiser at Anthony’s Pier 9 last Friday night. The event is the organizations main fund raiser for its local high school scholarship program.

The Coalition also utilizes this time to announce its endorsement of political candidates. The Coalition takes an active part in all elections by registering citizens to vote, maintaining a telephone bank to remind citizens to vote and support their local candidates, and by providing transportation to the polls on Election Day.

Coalition Board Member David Johnson stated that, “In the Coalition’s fourteen years of existence, it has been instrumental in helping to elect three mayors, two Democrats and one Republican, eight Board of Education members, and other candidates to various positions.”
This year the Coalition endorsed: Bill Larkin for Senator 39th District; Thomas Kirwan for 100th Assembly District; Maurice Hinchey for Congress; Judge Richard Farina for Orange County Court; Carl E Dubois for Orange County Sheriff; and Judge Jude Martini for Newburgh Town Justice.
Each candidate, speaking briefly, thanked the Coalition for their endorsement and support. Mr. David Johnson, co-chair of the event, reminded those present that “all politics are local. Support our candidates and vote on election day.”

The Coalition however, is more than a political group endorsing candidates. According to Carmen Vazqueztell, since 2000, the Coalition has awarded annually two scholarships in the amount of five hundred dollars, each to a deserving African American and Hispanic American young man and woman from the Newburgh Free Academy graduating class. Some of those students have attended Dutchess Community College, Orange County Community College, SUNY schools and one has even gone to Harvard.

“These scholarships mean so much to the young people,” Vazqueztell said, noting that many are the first to go to college in their family. She said it use to be an easy decision as to who received the scholarships with only a few people applying. But now that students know they can go to their guidance counselors and get an application, the number of applicants has grown.
The 2005-2006 scholarship recipients were Angela Brandon and Bruno Frustace. Ms. Brandon is currently attending Fordham University and Mr. Frustace is attending Swarthmore.

Pictured Above: David Johnson, Jude Martini, Richard Farina, Carl Dubois, Senator Bill Larkin, and Peter Gonzales participated in the Annual Black and Hispanic Coalition fund raiser at Anthony’s Pier 9.