[Archived] ACPD Names Bertier Scholarship, Grant Award Winners

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	June 19, 2007 PIO# 163-07/sjm	Steve Mason, Director of Communications, at 703.838.4300

ACPD Names Bertier Scholarship, Grant Award Winners
Bravo, Howell and Schwartz Recognized

The Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities (ACPD) announced that Angelica Bravo, from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, is its 2007 Gerry Bertier Scholarship Award winner. Ms. Bravo’s persistence over challenges, academic accomplishments, and passion for learning made her a unanimous choice for this year’s award. Ms. Bravo will attend George Mason University this fall.

The Gerry Bertier Scholarship is awarded on the basis of merit to a student with a disability who is seeking post-secondary education. The award was established to recognize the accomplishments of Gerry Bertier, a graduate of T.C. Williams High School, who became severely disabled after he co-captained the Titans in their fabled 1971 football season. He went on to receive many gold medals in national and international athletic competitions and he devoted his life to the service of persons with disabilities.

The ACPD also awarded two scholarships to students with disabilities. “This year we had a number of excellent candidates,” noted Chuck Benagh, Chair of the Awards committee. “The ACPD felt that while Ms. Bravo was clearly the winner of the Bertier Scholarship, two other candidates deserved special recognition. Ian Howell and Soraya Schwartz, both Commonwealth Academy graduates, prompted us to offer additional scholarships. We hope that these awards will help these fine and deserving young persons more easily attain their educational goals.” Mr. Howell plans to enroll in the College Living Experience in Florida and Ms. Schwartz will continue her studies, but has yet to make a final decision on where she will attend.

The ACPD also announced its recipients of two grants.

The John Duty Collins III Outstanding Advocate Award, established in 1989 in memory of John Duty Collins III, a founder and Vice Chair of the ACPD, will be presented to Kathleen Schramm, deputy director of the City of Alexandria’s Personnel Services. Ms Schramm has worked tirelessly for persons with disabilities by advocating on their behalf, coordinating for many years the City’s Mentoring Day activities, and recruiting qualified persons with disabilities for employment opportunities with the City.

The award includes a $500 donation in Ms. Schramm’s name to an organization of the recipient’s choice that contributes to the promotion of equal opportunity for persons with disabilities within the City of Alexandria. Ms. Schramm has selected Paralyzed Veterans of America to receive the donation.

Commonwealth Academy, an independent college preparatory day school located in Alexandria for students with learning disabilities, was awarded the ACPD’s Community Organization Grant, a monetary matching award covering 80% of the costs of project to improve inclusion and accessibility. Commonwealth will use the funds to purchase CD players for its students who require textbooks on tape to facilitate access for those with reading disabilities. The CD players provide several navigational options so that students with disabilities can learn at a pace most beneficial for them.

The Community Organization Grant was established to assist nonprofit agencies throughout Alexandria with their efforts to remove barriers and extend services to Alexandria’s residents with physical or sensory disabilities.

The awards will be presented by Alexandria’s Mayor William D. Euille at a reception in the Vola Lawson Lobby at City Hall, 301 King Street, on Tuesday, June 26 at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend. For additional information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Mike Hatfield at 703-519-3357, Virginia Relay 711, or email at mike.hatfield@alexandriava.gov.

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