[caption id="attachment_102192" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Next Generation Scholars program student Barbara Yupit Gomez (left) and Eneida Sanchez (right), a student in Huckleberry Youth Programs of San Francisco, receive Golden State Warriors jerseys from player Andre Iguodala at the presentation of Sun Life Rising Stars Awards to both nonprofits at a ceremony in San Rafael on Nov. 12. (credit: Jeremy Portje)[/caption]
SAN RAFAEL -- Next Generation Scholars, a nonprofit organization that helps students advance their education, was chosen for one of the Sun Life Rising Stars Awards, and a professional basketball player was on hand in San Rafael on Wednesday to present the award.
Next Generation Scholars (nextgenerationscholars.org), which combines a rigorous academic program with community building activities and wrap-around social services, and Huckleberry Youth Programs of San Francisco each won $50,000 awards.
Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors team presented the awards, totaling $110,000 in grants and scholarships. Two top students in each of the programs -- Eneida Sanchez of New Generation Scholars and Barbara Yupit Gomez of Huckleberry Youth Programs -- participated in the event.
The two organizations were among a dozen in underserved cities nationwide to which Sun Life Financial presented its latest round of Rising Star Awards.
This year, Sun Life will provide $660,000 in grants, scholarships and other resources to outstanding organizations and students in the Boston, Nashville, San Francisco, South Florida and the Tulsa/Oklahoma City areas. By the end of 2014, Sun Life Financial will have committed nearly $5 million to 86 students and 79 nonprofit organizations in 16 different cities across the country.
[caption id="attachment_102191" align="aligncenter" width="500"] From left: Paul Reulbach, publisher of San Francisco Magazine and a judge for the Rising Star Awards Judge; Elizabeth Carranza, an awards judge and account executive at Generali Employee Benefits Network; Sally Matsuishi, executive director of Next Generation Scholars; Brad Fleiss, Sun Life Financial Group market manager; and Golden State Warriors basketball player Andre Iguodala. (credit: Jeremy Portje)[/caption]
