ASU Senior Receives Book Stipend and Tickets to the MEAC/SWACC Challenge in Atlanta
- All courtesy of "aParent Miracle Foundation" and John Grant with the '@meacswaccchallenge'
By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
An Alabama State University senior was surprised at the ASU Bookstore on Aug. 24 with a book stipend for her course-related books, as well as tickets to the MEAC/SWAC Football Challenge between the ASU Hornets and the Howard University Bisons that takes place in Atlanta on August 27.
Nya Bell, an ASU senior and daughter of alumna Valerie Bell, was the recipient of this “Miracle Moment,” sponsored by the aParent Miracle Foundation. Melanie Williams, a lawyer with the United States Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, is the founder and CEO of the Foundation. Williams says her work with aParent Miracle Foundation allows her to act as the de-facto “fairy godmother” to young people and parents throughout North America -- from kindergarten to college -- who are being raised by single working custodial parents.
"We are so proud to give this award to Nya, who is a well deserving senior at Alabama State and is studying Rehabilitation Services who has a career path-goal of being an occupational therapist. We selected her because she is in good class standing in her academic studies and she received numerous positive nominations and good opinions shared about her character and personality from faculty and staff at the University," said Williams.
A senior at Howard University was also given the same award.
PURPOSE OF THE FOUNDATION
The founder of aParent Miracles Foundation explains that the purpose of her non-profit is to make gift presentations that she calls "Miracle Moments" which are targeted to single parents and/or their children, and are customized to meet that family's particular need.
"The inspiration for aParent Miracles comes from my mother who struggled to raise me and my brother on a teacher's salary after my father passed," Williams said. "My Mom was able to raise me to attend college and law school, and to honor her, it is my dream and the purpose of my foundation for me to be able to pay it forward by uplifting folks in similar circumstances. I just love giving to young people."
Williams said that the award and gifts to ASU's Bell is thanks to generous donations
from the Atlanta Black Owners and Operators of McDonald's. The MEAC/SWACC game tickets for the Aug. 27 gridiron challenge are courtesy of John
Grant and @meacswaccchallenge.
"We again congratulate Nya and her mother Valerie Bell, who is working hard as a single
parent so her daughter may graduate from her alma mater and go into a career where
she may improve the health of so many others," Williams said.
The Hornets football team will kick off the 2022 season in the MEAC/SWAC challenge which will be broadcast on ESPN.
News media contact: Kenneth Mullinax, 334-229-4104.
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