NOW ACCEPTING YOUNG LEADER AWARD NOMINATIONS!
Purpose: To honor a young community leader who has made a positive impact and who’s civic, social, community leadership sets an inspiring example for all of us.
Community Call’s mission is to develop life, leadership, and job readiness skills through civic engagement and empowerment for Boston high school at-risk and opportunity youth. Our student-centered approach provides personalized learning through student produced community events and projects on social issues that they choose to address. Our program brings together youth, businesses, educational institutions, nonprofits, and government partners to create positive outcomes for our students by expanding learning opportunities for life. Our Young Leader Award recognizes the young community leaders in the Greater Boston Area who exemplify the possibilities.
We strive to recognize young community leaders that personally connect to their causes by working with the recipients of the services, understanding the needs of the community, and displaying a passion to make a difference in the lives of those in need of services. The winner is chosen by a youth committee.
Eligibility Criteria: All nominees must…
- Be a resident of Massachusetts
- Have a demonstrated track record of community, civic, or social leadership to one or more ?nonprofit organizations or causes based within Massachusetts
- Have made a positive impact in the lives of Greater Boston residents ?through their personal commitment
- Encourage/motivate others to become community involved
- Nominees must be no older than 35 years old
Nomination Process: Please complete the attached form found by clicking here.
IMPORTANT: The form must be completed in its entirety in order for the nomination to be eligible. The Awards Committee will not accept nominations which rely solely on resumes, newspaper articles, annual reports or the like in substitution for concise responses to the criteria outlined below.
Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson Presents the 2015 Community Call Young Leader Award
Meet Monica Cannon
“I aspire to be an advocate for the voiceless and become successful enough to provide opportunity for those lacking thereof,” says Monica Cannon. Her signature quotation define Monica’s on going successful quest, “Little Girls with Dreams Become Women with Vision.”
Monica is a modern woman with dreams and vision. A proud single mother of three children between the ages of 12 and 16 and two adopted teens. She has demonstrated tremendous courage. She is incredibly resilient and determined to work collaboratively to end the prevailing culture of violence despite living in a neighborhood plagued with violence.
In response to the senseless neighborhood violence, Monica is civically engaged. She established working relationships with elected officials at the local, state, and federal level. She is determined to work collaboratively, peacefully and effectively to put an end to the violent culture in Boston and beyond.
Monica’s accomplishments include:
- Originated, produced and continues to host the annual Boston Back to School Block Party for Peace in Roxbury (six years to date). Monica distributes 600 free (donated)600 backpacks with school supplies to inner city neighborhood children and free lunches, refreshments, and activities for all attendees.
- Director of Promotions for the volunteer based Boston Peace Collaborative (PC). working diligently and effectively to promote the annual Got Peace? Basketball Tournament as a guest speaker on local radio and television programs.
- Executive Director of the Tito Jackson Community Fund helping to produce and organize the annual 4,000 turkey dinner & district Annual Turkey Fry Block Party, serving a free dinner to over 800 people
- Administrator for the Merrill’s Court Basketball Association (MCBA) who hosts the annual “Fathers Are Champions Too” basketballtournament with dads and their children
- Representative on the Citywide Parent Council for Boston Public Schools
- Co-Chair for Civic Engagement of the NAACP Young Adult Committee
Past Community Call Young Leader Award Recipients
Meet Joseph Gaeta of East Boston
2014 – Joseph is a native of East Boston and works as the East Boston YMCA Teen Program Manager. Joseph developed the Credit Recovery Program in collaboration with East Boson High School to provide an opportunity for the most at-risk students to work at their own pace to recover missed credits they need to graduate. You can find our press release here.
Meet Benjamin Haideri and Jon Feinman
2013 – Community Call presented its inaugural Greater Boston Young Leader Award to Benjamin Haideri of the Mayor’s Youth Council and Jonathan Feinman of Innercity Weightlifting. Please read more about them in the Bay State Banner story by clicking here.