Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Supports Private School for Underserved Boys

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. donated $10,000 to support the independent, tuition-free Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, which serves children from traditionally underserved communities in the South East Washington, D.C. area.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. donated $10,000 to support the independent, tuition-free Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, which serves children from traditionally underserved communities in the Washington, D.C. area during yesterday’s public presentation.

The Fraternity’s Oct. 22nd donation, which underscores Alpha’s commitment to urban communities, is aligned with its national program, Go-To-High-School, Go-To-College – established in 1922 and concentrates on the importance of completing secondary and collegiate education as a road to advancement. Through the Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College educational initiative, young men receive information and learn strategies that facilitate success.

“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is committed to the uplift and education of our youth, especially for African American males,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. 35th General President Everett B. Ward. “Throughout the Fraternity’s history, we have consistently provided support for institutions and initiatives that solidify our commitment to the community. Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys is ensuring that our boys are challenged to reach their full academic potential and prepared for future leadership and service in their communities and we are grateful for the opportunity to support.”

According to its website, the school, which strives to alter the educational and social trajectory of children from traditionally underserved communities, seeks to foster a love of learning, intellectual curiosity, spiritual foundation, and moral character that each boy will need as a student, as a citizen and as a child of God.

“We’re really excited that the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha (Fraternity, Inc.) gave a very generous donation to the Bishop Walker School,” said James Woody, chief development officer for the school. “(Since) the Bishop Walker is a tuition-free school, we’re always open to financial contributions, but we’re also interested in having men of color come down and be positive role models for our students.”

The school, which receives no public funding and covers all expenses through donations and contributed services, is named for the first African American Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, the Rt. Reverend John Thomas Walker, who was “a pastor, teacher, cathedral builder, civil rights leader, ecumenist, social justice pioneer, urban missionary, relief worker and statesman” and welcomes boys of all faiths and beliefs. Currently, Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, which is located in Southeast D.C., serves Junior-Kindergarten through Sixth grade and is expanding to 8th grade by 2020 when its total enrollment reaches 160 students.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., headquartered in Baltimore, MD, was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community’s fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke and Cornel West. The fraternity, through its more than 720 college and alumni chapters and general-organization members, serves communities in the United States, Canada, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Visit http://www.apa1906.net and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.