JOLIET – United In Excellence hosts its second annual fundraiser on Nov. 11 at Joliet Central High School.
Founded in 2016, the initiative offers scholarship opportunities and post-secondary supports to students at Joliet Township High Schools. This year’s event, titled “An Evening of Excellence,” will celebrate the successes of the initiative's first year of programming with a catered dinner and program. Seating is limited.
During the 2016-17 school year, the organization awarded over $3,000 in scholarships, hosted a trunk party for scholarship recipients, and launched a new program at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts in Baltimore, Maryland. United In Excellence is an initiative of the Joliet Township High Schools Foundation.
At the event, the organization will announce a new scholarship for JTHS students named after Joliet residents Saul and Edna Brass. Edna Brass is a retired JTHS employee, having served at JTHS as a high school educator and then as the special services director. This new scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing education in a post-secondary program.
UIE co-founder Cristi Gaither has partnered with Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts in her hometown of Baltimore to launch an after-school step team based on the original UIE step team that ran at JTHS from 1996 to 2008. “There is definitely a need for more organizations like UIE in communities across the country,” Gaither added.
The Nov. 11 event will feature videos and presentations from program alumni and a catered dinner by local chef Asa Brown. It is hosted by Pastor Warren C. Dorris Jr. of Prayer Tower Ministries COGIC. UIE offers a scholarship for community service named after Dorris and his wife, Rita Dorris.