 |
| L-R, Mr. Cliff Barnes, Hon. Ingrid Turner, NHC President Tomeka Bumbry, Program Chair, Crystal Christmas-Watson, In Reach's Executive Director, Toni Smith, and Mr. Ronnie Gathers |
Prince George's County's Finest - Founder and Executive Director Toni A. Smith Receives Award of Excellence in Education
Prince George’s County, Maryland – On Sunday, April 10, 2016, In
Reach’s Founder and Executive Director, Ms. Toni A. Smith, received
an Award of Excellence in Education from the National Harbor Chapter of Jack
and Jill of America, Inc., during its Fifth Anniversary Celebration. “How
appropriate,” she said “for me to receive my first Award of Excellence from an
organization that values family, education and service. It does not get much
better than this.”
Since its inception in December
1999, Ms. Smith has worked tirelessly to build In Reach into a full-fledged
community-focused education organization with the primary goal
of bringing opportunity in reach to more
students in their communities. Starting with forty students attending two partner schools,
an elementary afterschool program and an in-school high school
program, both programs focused on preparing students for college, work and life. Today, In
Reach provides afterschool programs to nearly two hundred students attending
Title I schools through its K-8 College and Career Ready 21st
Century Community Learning Center and Youth Ambassadors College Access High School Program.
Having worked in a variety
of local and national youth advocacy nonprofit environments, Ms. Smith has over twenty-five years of experience in nonprofit service, management and leadership. She has a long-standing commitment to children's
issues and an intimate understanding of the wide array of social justice issues
faced by children, youth and families. Professionally, she has found her
greatest joy through In Reach where she is able to bring
her whole self to improving the lives of children and youth, empowering
women and girls to reach their full potential, and promoting the vital work of
the nonprofit sector.
Ms. Smith was delighted to share
the spotlight with three other amazing recipients: the Honorable Ingrid M.
Turner, Esq., for Civic Excellence; Mr. Ronnie Gathers, director of Parks and
Recreation in Prince George’s County, MD for Recreational Excellence; and Mr.
Cliff Barnes, member Epstein Becker & Green in the Health Care and Life
Sciences Practice for Excellence in Health. However, the true star of the
evening was Mr. Brandon C. Welcome, the National Harbor Chapter’s first
Scholarship Awardee and student in the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince
George’s Community College, graduating this year with a 4.25 GPA and a plan to attend Morehouse College in the fall to major in Political Science.
In Reach, Inc., is a tax exempt 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization designed to prepare students for college, work and life. Founded in 1999, In Reach envisions healthy, productive and prepared young adults in every family. To learn more about In Reach, visit www.inreachinc.org. In Reach is currently celebrating its sixteenth year, #TheBIGSixteen.
