College Students Sponsored By Philly Unificationists

Unificationists in Pennsylvania are helping several local high school graduates pursue higher education by sponsoring them to attend various colleges in the area. Philadelphia Family Church contributed to the tuition of seven high-achieving students from Martin Luther King High School while striving to transform their Germantown neighborhood through building up young leadership.

“Our community wants to transform the neighborhood by helping to raise up a new generation of local leaders who are setting a good example, serving the community, and bringing awareness to community needs,” said Shota Iwasaki, a longtime Unificationist. “Our ministry council decided in early 2019 to set aside a portion of the rental payments received from our investment property at the old church for the last two years.”

Those funds have now gone toward a scholarship program for the students and local non-profit partnerships. “Doing one good act of service is not enough,” said Iwasaki. “It is so important to continue doing good work in the community, so we have given contributions to non-profit organizations that closely associate with us and diligently work toward building healthy and vibrant communities.”

One donation recipient, Men Who Care of Germantown, is a nonprofit aiming to “to enhance the quality of life in the community through restoring and empowering youth and seniors to become responsible citizens and stewards of Germantown.” The Unificationist community gave $2,000 toward its scholarship program benefitting the high school graduates. The students, pursuing degrees in fields like education, nursing, and business, have matriculated at institutions including Holy Trinity University, Penn State – Abington, and West Chester University.

“Our ministry was invited and recognized at the scholarship awards ceremony on July 25,” said Iwasaki. “We shared our happiness and congratulatory remarks with the students and staff of Men Who Care, and we are so excited to see what the future holds for these bright young people.”

Know someone doing great work? You can share a story from your community at info@unification.org.