AWARENESS: AN EVENING W/ DR. BILL COSBY FOR CAPITAL PREPARATORY MAGNET SCHOOL

View the Gallery 6 Photos

Dr. Steve Perry’s Capital Preparatory Magnet School has been featured on Soledad O’Brien’s “Black In America” series on CNN for the school’s impeccable graduation record for getting all seniors accepted into four-year colleges, no matter their economic status or background. However this year as tuition and education costs sky rocket, it appears to be virtually the only set back threatening to prevent Perry from sending 100% of its predominantly low-income and minority, first-generation graduates to four year colleges.

With the help of more than 200 individuals and organizations including four “platinum” sponsors with $10,000 donations from Travelers Insurance; United Technologies Corp.; Elizabeth and Dr. Bruce Bower of West Hartford, a retired endocrinologist; and Hybrid Insurance Group, a black-owned firm based in Hartford. Capital Preparatory Magnet School has so far raised $90,000 in college scholarships for students with an ‘Evening with Dr. Cosby.’ The event gave the Hartford community an opportunity to hear from a national champion of education alongside CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, former NBA player Jalen Rose, social activist and educator Geoffrey Canada and NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris.

Last school year, an inaugural event with Cosby helped Capital Prep raise $70,000 in scholarships. The recipients, 2011 graduates Wynton Borders and Khamarr Smith, are now freshmen at Morehouse College. All Capital Prep scholarship recipients are required to pay back the investment made in them, either in dollars or service to younger students and also with leadership and positivity in their community as a pay it forward gift.

“They are the reason why I wake up and go to work every morning,” Principal Steve Perry says of the two scholarship students. “We have diamonds like them throughout this school, just waiting to be polished.”

Those interested in helping Capital Prep reach its goal can visit www.capitalprepimpact.com. Checks may be made payable to ‘Capital Prep Scholarship Fund’ and addressed to Sterling Berliant, Capital Prep Magnet School, 1304 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103 OR email Berls001@hartfordschools.org for more information on how you can help!