Correspondent photo / Nancilynn Gatta
Community Volunteer Council scholarship winners were Trinity Walker of Warren G. Harding High School, left, and Sonia Lorraine Pitts of Howland High School. They received their $500 scholarships Saturday at the Community Volunteer Council’s fundraising brunch at Aulizio’s Catering & Banquet Center in Warren.

To continue their charitable endeavors, CVC hosted its annual brunch fundraiser Saturday at Aulizio’s Catering & Banquet Center. The event included a basket raffle, 50 / 50 raffle and the presentation of two scholarships.

The charity hosts a second fundraiser — a high tea — in October.

“The need is great. We are now helping people who recently lost their jobs at Insight (Trumbull Memorial and Hillside Hospitals),” said Heather Kapluck, administrative assistant at Community Volunteer Council.

Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays are clothing and personal care item giveaways for registered families. Thursday is a food giveaway.

In her opening remarks, president and executive director Marlene Roberts acknowledged the attendance of Lois Cade, the last of the charter members of the organization.

“My friend, Sadie Parks, started the group and she asked me to help out,” Cade said. “I would take people to doctor’s appointments and other things that were needed.”

Master of Ceremonies Michael Engram, executive director of the non-profit Game Changers, introduced the four panelists at the brunch — Airiz Coleman-Bey of Warren G. Harding High School, Bethany Boykin from Liberty High School, Riley Curd of John F. Kennedy Catholic School Upper Campus in Warren and Trinity Walker of Warren G. Harding High School — who discussed their academic, athletic, faith and service achievements.

Coleman-Bey will attend Brown University to become a physician. Boykin will attend Kent State University as a marketing major. Curd will attend John Carroll University as an accounting major and Trinity Walker will attend Howard University as either an English major or pre-law.

Engram asked each student two questions such as “Who has inspired you?”

Boykin answered, “My parents and (her) foundation in Christ.”

When asked “What is the biggest lesson that you have learned so far?” Coleman-Bey said, “Never compare yourself to others. Your time will come.”

When asked “What is something that you would change?” Coleman-Bey said, “I would listen to my parents more.”

Twenty-one students from 12 different Trumbull County high schools applied for two scholarships. The scholarship committee of Marsha Terry, Cynthia Hill and Pastor Dick Smith chose Sonia Lorraine Pitts of Howland High School and Trinity Walker of Warren G. Harding as the recipients.

After reading the applications, Terry said that the world is in good shape for the future.

Roberts explained the selection process.

“Each committee member received a folder with all the applications that had only a number on it. They looked at them over the weekend (March 29 and 30) and came together Monday. All three members of the selection committee chose the same two numbers. So, right now, everyone in this room just learned the names of the winners,” Roberts said.

She said she would like to give a scholarship to all the applicants, but that is a discussion for another day.

The event was a time to celebrate the youth who will be the leaders of tomorrow and to highlight the good work that CDC does for the community and as a fundraiser to help them in their mission. In 2024, CDC helped 11,500 households and 24,000 individuals.

In his benediction, Pastor Samson Murry of Triedstone Baptist Church said, “If the federal government steps back, then the community has to step up.”