Heal The City of Trenton, an initiative of the SEED male mentoring program, has collaborated with student-led organization Trenton Student Voice Power Movement (TSVPM) to award recent graduates from Trenton Central High School with an academic support award and scholarship.

Through donations from community leaders and local businesses, the two initiatives working hand-in-hand will be able to provide the first Heal The City “Believe and Achieve” Academic Support Awards for TCHS class of 2020 graduates seeking to further their education. A ceremony will be held today, July 30th from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the front steps of Trenton City Hall. 

The “Believe and Achieve” awards will be presented at that time as well as the winners of the Scavenger Hunt. Heal The City is excited to be able to provide this additional support to exceptional seniors who fought the odds and came out on top!

From its inception, Heal The City has emphasized the importance of education for the youth in Trenton as they prepare for a productive future. By implementing an endless amount of inspiring, encouraging programs and events throughout the city, the organization is having a notable impact in community. Their positive billboard campaign, which started in 2015, highlighted students on billboards from Trenton Public Schools who have worked hard to maintain good grades, participate in community service and stay focused on their goals during a time when many of their peers may have been distracted.

With the COVID-19 hardship which hindered seniors the ability to experience major milestones and memorable events, Principal Hope Grant and Melda Grant of the School-Based Youth Services Program partnered with Heal The City to have six beautifully designed billboards placed throughout each ward. The billboards acknowledge a senior class that has faced tremendous obstacles but has managed to persevere.

To keep the momentum going in honoring the optimistic youth residing here in Trenton, New Jersey, Mr. Stacy Heading, a founding member of Heal The City, began a project with the Trenton Student Voice Power Movement to make the mission of providing additional support to students, who demonstrated need, a reality.

TSVPM is a youth activist organization founded by three students (now graduates) from Trenton Central High School with a goal to “be a voice of Trenton Students, ensuring that voices are advocated and represented for throughout the school system and community at large.” The initiative came together with Heal The City to identify approximately 15 deserving students after a successful establishment of its Facebook “Adopt a Senior” page,  which has prospered as a platform to celebrate and link seniors and donors together to implement financial relief while assisting them on the next steps of their lives. Through this remarkable page, graduating seniors were able to obtain essential needs and items to assist them with their experience at college. 

“I was inspired by the Adopt A Senior Project a student-led initiative, of young people taking full accountability of their education,” said Mr. Stacy Heading, a founding member of Heal The City who aimed to provide additional support to a group of students who demonstrated need. “I said to the team, what more can we do to assist these young people?” 

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