On the evening of Wednesday, July 17, representatives from the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, Urban League of Northwest Indiana, and Indiana University (IU) Northwest gathered in the Hard Rock Casino's Jackson Family Tribute Gallery. The Hard Rock Casino presented Urban League with a $250,000 check that will be used to fund the all-new Do Well by Doing Good Scholarship Program. This program, which was established between Urban League and IU Northwest, will provide Gary high school graduates attending IU Northwest with crucial financial aid.
Matt Schuffert, Hard Rock Casino president, Dr. Vanessa Allen McCloud, Urban League president and CEO, Ellis G. Dumas III, Chief of Staff for Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, and Vicki Román-Lagunas, Interim Chancellor at IU Northwest took to the podium to share their optimism for the project with the attendees.
"Not only is this a seriously exciting event, but it's also a historic one," Román-Lagunas said. "The shared vision and collaboration between Urban League, the Hard Rock Casino, and IU Northwest has been the best. We've identified the eligible students among those who have already applied for the scholarship and look forward to working with them during the 2024-25 school year. This scholarship program will change the futures of our high school graduates for the better and, in doing so, help advance the Gary community."
The Do Well by Doing Good Scholarship Program is open to the class of 2024 students who are graduating from a Gary-based high school, regardless of whether they were homeschooled or attended a public, private, public charter, or faith-based high school. Applicants must have completed 30-40 hours of community service and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher to be eligible for the scholarship. If they receive the scholarship, they must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA while attending IU Northwest. Dr. Yvonne Stokes, Gary Community Schools Superintendent, believes that the Do Well by Doing Good Scholarship Program will prove to be a major asset when it comes to preparing students for life beyond college.
"I'm happy to be here tonight because this scholarship program will benefit my students," Stokes said. "We want to prepare students so that they can thrive today, tomorrow and throughout time, but we all know that you can't do so without giving them a leg-up financially. This scholarship program is so important because it helps our students make decisions about the next stage of their life's journey and for many of them that next stage is college. We want to make them Gary-ready so that they'll be future-ready, and this scholarship will do much to help with that process. The youth are our future and we must empower them. I am thrilled that our fellow community members have partnered to put together something that will greatly benefit our students."
"Research shows that a lack of finances can be a barrier for a large portion of first generation and low income college students. This generous donation from Hard Rock serves as a commitment to eliminating financial barriers for Gary students seeking to pursue their career goals at Indiana University Northwest." said Allen-McCloud. Dr. McCloud also recognized Mike Suggs who had the insight to join in the initial partnership sharing his quote, "This is a clear message to our youth that their dreams are achievable, and their potential is limitless,". Michael L. Suggs.
After thanking the attendees for coming, Schuffert presented Allen McCloud with a giant Hard Rock guitar-shaped check for $250,000, much to the attendees' delight. Allen McCloud and Schuffert joined representatives from both Urban League and IU Northwest for photographs with the check. Ken Iwama, Vice President of Indiana University Regional Campuses and Online Education, was also a speaker at the event. He views the Do Well by Doing Good Scholarship Program as the fulfillment of a longtime aspiration.
"This event represents the culmination of so many things that we've sought to achieve, not only at IU Northwest, but also within the community," Iwama said. "This kind of collaboration is what I envisioned when I first came to IU Northwest in 2020. This partnership is really an outgrowth of IU Northwest's first major collaboration with Urban League, the college scholarship fair that we hosted on our campus last year. Our goal was to partner with another organization – namely the Hard Rock Casino – and scale what we did at the college fair so as to make an even bigger impact on the community. The Do Well by Doing Good Scholarship Program will raise our students, raise our community, and raise ourselves along with them, so I'm very excited to be here to support and celebrate this."
The attendees chatted among themselves as they enjoyed the open bar and gourmet hors d'oeuvres served by the casino staff.
Learn more about Urban League of Northwest Indiana and the Do Well by Doing Good Scholarship Program by visiting urbanleagueofnwi.org. Please visit northwest.iu.edu to learn more about Indiana University Northwest.
