Fellas College Scholarship Fund
BACKGROUND
At first glance, formation of a club by a group of professional men for the explicit purpose of organizing their social life hardly seems a thoughtful and relevant response to the underlying socio-political conditions that constituted America’s toxic and racially divisive environment in 1963, the organizing year for the Fellas Social Club.
Shortly thereafter, the United States saw the passage of the seminal Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited, among other things, racial discrimination and, legally at least, ended segregation in public places.
History (the US Supreme Court re-incarnation of Plessy v Ferguson’s “separate but equal doctrine, re-interpretation of the of the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, resistance to Brown v Board of Education, etc) taught the Fellas that apparent abolishment of legal sanctions in support of discrimination was neither temporary sedative nor a lethal therapeutic for America’s deeply embedded scourge of racial apartheid.
Thus, the practical living experience of the doctors, lawyers, academicians, and businessmen who founded the Fellas did not warrant a conclusion by them of lasting relief from their historical experience of discriminatory treatment both in their professional and social lives.
The Founders’ ingenious insight deriving from their living experience was the vision of a support system for brotherhood that would gird them for their ongoing fight for professional advancement while simultaneously providing a convivial outlet for their social life.
Thus, the founding of the Fellas Social Club.
The Necessity for Community
Some time thereafter, the founders and members recognized that making a reality of the promise for equal citizenship status and equal opportunity proffered by the confirmation of legal rights contained in the 1964 Act and subsequent legal reframing required building community capacity.
In short, the Fellas came to recognize that education had catapulted them to opportunities and privileges, and that education was thus a necessity for community growth.
“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community.
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”.
These observations, respectively by the labor leader/civil rights activist Cesar Chavez and the visionary civil rights leader/community organizer Malcolm X, embody the philosophy and vision of the Fellas College Scholarship Fund.
VISION
The vision of the Fellas College Scholarship Fund is to promote the continuing growth and capacity of the African-American community and other communities of color, to facilitate the experience of equal opportunity and legal rights under law and as provided in the US Constitution. Supporting the achievement of advanced education is the means chosen to realize its vision.
MISSION
The mission of the Fellas College Scholarship Fund to promote the acquisition a college education in the African American community and other communities of color, and to raise funds to help deserving high school graduates afford the cost of college enrollment and study.
Scholarship Award Management
Management of the Fellas College Scholarship Award is conducted by the Fellas College Scholarship Committee, and overseen by the Fellas membership. The Committee oversees and coordinates the identification and evaluation of candidates for scholarship awards. Recommendations for scholarship awards are submitted to the Fellas membership for approval.
Scholarship awards are made to highly deserving high school graduates who have demonstrated outstanding academic performance, leadership as evidenced by extracurricular activities and community involvement, and who present evidence of acceptance to an accredited undergraduate program at a US university or college.
Exclusive of the years of the pandemic, the Fellas College Scholarship Fund has awarded annually a total amount of $35,000 to $45,000 divided between 4 to 6 recipients. Subject to academic achievement and good standing at their university or college, awards are renewed annually until graduation.
Consistent with the Fellas vision and mission, recipients are asked to help sustain the Fellas College Scholarship Fund through fundraising and contributions upon their post-college capacity. Continued devotion to community service is also implicit.
Scholarship Fundraising
The primary source of funding for the Fellas College Scholarship Fund is the Fellas College Scholarship Luncheon held annually in June. Throughout the year, individual donors are encouraged to make contributions.
Because of the consistency of their attendance at the Fellas College Scholarship Luncheon over the years, we consider the donors Partners in support of the Fellas vision and mission.
Cumulatively over the life of the Fellas College Scholarship Fund, approximately $1.5 million has been raised and awarded to deserving recipients.
Donations may be made electronically via Zelle at fellascsf@gmail.com.
Donations may also made by check, payable to the Fellas College Scholarship Fund and mailed to the attention of the Fellas Treasurer:
Derrick Hostler
133 Gates Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11238
CONTACT
Questions and inquiries about the Fellas College Scholarship Fund may be directed to:
Mr. Rayton Gerald
Chairman of the Fellas College Scholarship Fund Committee
gerald.r@outlook.com
or
Dr. Bennie W. Chiles III, M.D.
President of the Fellas
benc3rd@gmail.com