Carlisle's Hope Station to debut award ceremony Saturday
After a strategic planning process that helped re-shape Hope Station's mission, the Carlisle-based nonprofit is introducing an annual awards ceremony to recognize community members.
The gala will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at American Legion Post 101 at 142 N. Hanover St. Hope Station representatives will recognize the ninth annual Jim Washington Jr. Award recipient and the first annual Youth Leadership Award winner.
Hope Station Executive Director Rogette Harris, who took on the role in September, said Saturday's event will also feature food, music, a silent auction, a raffle and more. James Crummel, co-anchor of ABC27 News Daybreak, will be the emcee Saturday evening.
The gala is open to the public and tickets are available online for $60 each. Harris said the organization has a limited number of tickets, on a first-come, first served basis, for people who can't afford to pay.
Harris said board members unanimously selected Carlisle resident Christopher Thomas to receive this year's Jim Washington Jr. Award, named for Hope Station's first executive director.
According to his event biography, Thomas is a retired Army veteran who has lived in Carlisle for 30 years. A father of nine, he has been involved with the Bibleway Hibner Memorial Church of God in Christ and is a founding member of Iron Sharpens Iron Fatherhood Program, as well as the Carlisle Community Leaders Networking Alliance.
Thomas has also participated in events like the Amani Festival of Carlisle.
"Working in the community and working with young people has always been so rewarding," his bio reads.
Samuel Murry Jr., 18, of Carlisle, will receive the first Youth Leadership Award.
Murry is a consistent honor roll student and Carlisle High School football player. He is also involved in the Iron Sharpens Iron Fatherhood Program, as well as the National Society of High School Scholars, according to his bio.
With a passion for culinary arts, Murry hopes to attend Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and to one day open his own bakery.
Harris said the goal recognizing youth leadership is encouraging young people to give back to the community and to stay in the area.
"Youth is the future," she said. "So we want to recognize and encourage youth to continue doing what they're doing."
In previous years, the Jim Washington Jr. Award has been presented during Hope Station's Black Cultural Festival in February.
Hope Station's decision to separate it into its own function allows for an event that is focused solely on the awardees and their contributions to the community, Harris said.
"[It's] so it doesn't kind of get overshadowed by other events that occur at the Black Cultural fest," she said.
Harris anticipates similar events on Hope Station's horizon.
The organization emerged from a strategic planning process earlier this year with a new mission statement, focusing on furthering social and economic mobility for Black and Brown community members. Hope Station's service area also expanded from Carlisle to Cumberland County as a whole, Harris said.
With new programming to begin in January and upcoming partnerships with other agencies, she believes events like the award ceremony help highlight the positives.
"A lot of times there's so much focus on the negative in any community, what's wrong [and] what's bad, but there's a lot of good going on," Harris said. "So this is a way to bring out that good and to showcase the individuals that [are] doing the good in the community."
Photos: Carlisle's Hope Station 2024 Juneteenth celebrationJuneteenth 2.JPG
Juneteenth 3.JPG
Juneteenth 1.JPG
Juneteenth 4.JPG
Juneteenth 5.JPG
Juneteenth 6.JPG
Juneteenth 7.JPG
Juneteenth 8.JPG
Juneteenth 9.JPG
Juneteenth 10.JPG
Juneteenth 11.JPG
Juneteenth 12.JPG
Juneteenth 13.JPG
Maddie Seiler is a news reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com covering Carlisle and Newville. Love
News Reporter
