The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program

Our program would like to thank Tracy Schliep, Journey to Beloved Community, and St. John's Episcopal Church for inviting our Executive Director Jermaine Somerset to speak on our program's mission and the forthcoming positive impact of community work we inspire to achieve. Our organization is grateful to have had the opportunity to hear the personal testimonies from members of Journey to Beloved Community, and we look forward to building a strong partnership with their inspiring group. 

Let's Taco 'Bout It. Please come out and join our Executive Director Jermaine Somerset on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., for a thoughtful, intentional, and respectful discussion on cultural sensitivity, diversity, community, and unity for families impacted by racial disparity in the areas of health and finance. This free lunch event hosted by Beloved Community will take place at St. John's Episcopal Church located at 226 W. State Street, 4th Floor Dining Room, Sharon, PA. Jermaine will share the work of the Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program's Legacy Cultural Project. The Legacy Cultural Project unites families, community leaders, educators, and law enforcement in a non-traditional setting to encourage the development of positive community relationships through open and unscripted conversations.  Be sure to come out and enjoy lunch and an informative talk. You do not want to miss it. 

The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program is proud to announce the expansion of our Legacy Cultural Project for the year 2025. Following the success of the 2nd Annual Legacy Cultural Project in June 2024, our organization will increase the number of student participants from five to ten. This expansion will provide even more students with an opportunity to experience this unique educational trip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama designed to promote cultural awareness and the development of positive student leadership skills. We are also excited to announce our newest project, The Education and the Arts Project. The Education and the Arts Project was created to highlight the arts and early achievements of African American culture in the areas of health, food cultivation, and finance. Our organization’s goal is to address the need to combat chronic diseases, promote early detection of mental health issues, bring awareness to wealth disparity, and educate on the building of generational wealth within deserving and underserved communities. In order to accomplish our goal, we need your help. The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program is a 501(c)(3) corporation that was established in 1996. The bulk of our mission is to serve as a fund to promote cultural sensitivity and diversity, equity, and community development for young adults and their families who are negatively impacted by inequality and racial disparity in mental and physical health, literacy, education, finance, and cultural awareness. We are graciously accepting donations for both of our impactful projects: the Legacy Cultural Project and the Education and the Arts Project. Please assist us in making positive changes within the community. Please click the links or scan the QR codes today to make a tax-deductible donation to our organization. Thank you in advance!

The Legacy Cultural Project 2024 took place on Thursday, June 6, 2024 through Saturday, June 8, 2024, in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. This year the Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program, through the generosity and partnership of dedicated sponsors, was privileged to serve five Farrell Area School District high school students (grades 9-12) and their respective parent or guardian; the City of Farrell Mayor, Kimberly Doss; Detective Joey Brant from the Farrell Police Department; City Councilperson, Carminal Craig; Farrell School Board member, Rev. Tiffany Holden; and Farrell Area School District educators:  John Seybert (Special Education Director) and Derek Burda (African American Studies teacher).

The Legacy Cultural Project is an annual cultural trip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama created by The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program to address cultural sensitivity, diversity, equity, and inclusion through the introduction of arts and culture. Our organization purposely selected the City of Farrell, Pennsylvania for The Legacy Cultural Project. The project was designed to respectfully, but intentionally invite conversations on cultural sensitivity, discussions about diversity, and prompt reflection regarding the harsh realities of Deep South history across the various stakeholders, including the city, community, law enforcement, and school district.

While in Selma, Alabama, the project participants visited the Edmund Pettus Bridge which is the historic site of the March 9, 1965 protest for the murder of Mr. Jimmy Lee Jackson. In preparation to cross the bridge, the group also visited Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the starting and meeting location of the non-violent gathering. The next stops were The Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, and Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama. Each of these consequential locations provided the transformative backdrop for our daily debrief and life-changing recaps. Thank you for your continued support of this rewarding work. Please click on the above links to make a donation to this project. Thank You!!!!

Our Founder and Executive Director  Jermaine Somerset appeared on WFMJ Channel 21 to summarize the upcoming 2nd Annual Legacy Cultural Project. 

The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program is proud to announce its second annual Legacy Cultural Project. Our organization is excited to partner with the City of Farrell, the Farrell Police Department, and the Farrell Area School District, and we are also the proud recipient of a Shenango Valley Foundation Grant from the Community Foundation of Western PA and Eastern OH for this project.

The Legacy Cultural Project 2024 will serve five Farrell Area School District high school students from grades 9-12 and their respective parent or guardian, Mayor Kimberly Doss, the school district’s Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Emily Clare, one teacher, one police officer from the Farrell Police Department, one city council member, and one school board member. The Legacy Cultural Project is a cultural trip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama created by The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program to address cultural sensitivity, diversity, equity, and inclusion through the introduction of arts and culture. Our organization purposely selected the City of Farrell, Pennsylvania for The Legacy Cultural Project. The project was designed to respectfully, but intentionally invite discussion on cultural sensitivity, diversity, and prompt reflection regarding the harsh realities of Deep South history across the various stakeholders of the city, community, and school district. The Legacy Cultural Project 2024 will take place Thursday, June 6, 2024 through Saturday, June 8, 2024, in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. Participants will fly from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Montgomery, Alabama where board members and volunteers of the Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program will greet them. The three-day event will begin with a visit to Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, then on to the First White House of the Confederacy, Rosa Parks Museum, The Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, and Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama.

Today’s time with Farrell Police Department, Chief Erick Gatewood and Superintendent of Farrell Area School District Dr. Lora Adams-King was well spent! The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program is elated to continue the mission of our Legacy Cultural Project in 2024! The Legacy Cultural Project 2024 will serve five Farrell Area School District high school students and their respective parent or guardian, City of Farrell Mayor Kimberly Doss, the school district’s Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Emily Clare, one  local teacher, one police officer from the Farrell Police Department, and one Farrell city council member. The Legacy Cultural Project is a cultural trip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama created by The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program to address diversity, equity, and inclusion through the introduction of arts and culture. The City of Farrell, Pennsylvania specifically selected by our organization for The Legacy Cultural Project. The project was designed to respectfully, but intentionally invite discussion on cultural sensitivity, diversity and prompt reflection regarding the harsh realities of Deep South history across the various stakeholders of the city, community, and school district. 

📣The Legacy Cultural Project 2024 will take place Thursday, June 6, 2024 through Saturday, June 8, 2024, in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. The three-day event will begin with a visit to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama,  the First White House of the Confederacy, Rosa Parks Museum, The Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, and Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama. 

📣If you are interested in supporting this work, tax-deductible donations can be made via:

Cashapp• $thesomersetprogram 

•Zelle• the.somerset.program@gmail.com 

•PayPal• https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EF4T3T724PVE2

Statement of Dr. Emile Clare, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Farrell Area School District: The inspiration for the Farrell Area School District's African American Living Museum is inspired from the work of Executive Director Mr. Jermaine Somerset and his The Legacy Cultural Project through the Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program. In June of 2023, the non-profit organization sponsored students, families, and community leaders on a trip to Alabama to visit the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the Legacy Museum. That trip changed my life, and I knew I needed to figure out a way to use the trip to help shape learning for all students in our District. After a few brainstorming sessions, the African American Living Museum Project was developed. Students enrolled in an African American History course were tasked with selecting a topic, person or event from the Civil Rights Movement; researching that topic, person or event; and then designing a museum artifact that represented their learning. Students worked together, alongside local artists, to curate an exhibit that showcased all of the artifacts in a way that told the story of the Civil Rights Movement as a collective experience. Community members and families were invited to walk through the museum as students told the story of their selected topic, person or event alongside their museum artifacts. Not only was this a way to make learning more authentic, but it created a voice for our students to tell history as they understand it to a larger audience. Without the vision of the Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program and its Legacy Cultural Project, I know our African American Living Museum Project would not be possible for our students. 

Meet Ms. Alejandra Mabel Galvani  pictured on the right (in all black) and Ms. Suzy Soares Campos pictured on the far left (in black and white). Ms. Alejandra "Ale" Galvani has joined The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program’s English Language project in Rio de Janeiro to assist our program as an interpreter and provide our students with in-lesson tutoring and problem solving. Ale is originally from South of Argentina and she speaks 3 languages: Spanish, Portuguese ,and English. Ale studied Hospitality and Tourism Management in Argentina and her passion is to travel around the world seeing new places, and exploring new cultures.

Ms. Suzy Soares Campos is our newest student enrolled in the English Language Project and she is from São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro. Suzy has been employed as a rideshare driver for 7 years and works 12 hour shifts daily. Ms Campos serves as Assistant Pastor at the Renascer em Cristo Church in Vila Isabel- Rio de Janeiro. Since becoming a member, the church has embraced her and changed her life by giving her the spiritual sustenance to withstand all of life's challenges. Suzy knows it is in the communion of the Lord that she recharges her energy. Through her church, Suzy discovered the true meaning of life, which is JESUS. Suzy enjoys adventurous outings that give her an adrenaline rush. Suzy will use the English Language Project to increase her professional qualifications which enable her to pursue the profession of her dreams, and move to the United States.

Mr. Jermaine Somerset the Executive Director of The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program @the.somerset.program 

🔊THE FRED SOMERSET MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 📢

Board Member, Corwin Somerset, has embraced her lifetime commitment of faithfully serving Youth and Families through her role at the Shenango Valley YMCA from 2012-2020.  In her supervisory role at the Chavers Community Center After School Program, she continued to  give back to the community.   Corwin elevated her passion by joining the staff of the Shenango Valley Urban League in 2017, as the Education Director.  She was promoted in 2022 to the dual role of Director of Housing and Education. While at the Urban league, Corwin's responsibilities include, but are not limited to, coordinating a variety of yearly programs like the Annual MLK Breakfast and the Summer Youth Apprenticeship Program (SYAP), a summer enrichment program to prepare youth for their future.  Corwin also oversees an Urban League initiative which provides basic computer skills to residents in Mercer County, the National Urban League Incentives to Excel & Succeed Program (NULITES), a nationwide youth program designed to provide opportunities for personal and leadership development through participation in community service projects. In 2021, Corwin became a HUD Certified Counselor which allows her to  provide pre and post home purchase and rental counseling to residents in Mercer County. 

On October 12, 2023 Corwin was recognized by the Mercer County NAACP Branch for her service to the community with the NAACP Community Service Award.

The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program is pleased to announce The Education and the Arts Project for the period of October 2024 through May  2025. Additional details, including session announcements, are coming soon. 

The Education and the Arts Project is a new project which seeks to promote cultural sensitivity and diversity, equity, and community development. Our project will benefit the residents of the historic Capitol Hill and Anacostia communities in Washington, D.C.; Alexandria, Virginia, specifically Hybla Valley and surrounding neighborhoods. Our organization discovered these neighborhoods have the highest obesity rates and lowest life expectancy and incomes. They primarily depend on community clinics, emergency rooms, and the multiple urgent care facilities in the area to seek needed health services. Residents in our targeted neighborhoods are also less likely to seek mental or physical health assistance compared to Black and other minority residents in communities with higher income rates. Black and other minority residents in our targeted communities are two times more likely to suffer a chronic disease such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes that is linked to obesity, poor dietary choices, and limited access to healthcare providers. By using the early contributions of African American culture and arts in the areas of health, food cultivation, and finance, The Education and the Arts Project will seek to: 1) address the need for access to personal and individually catered healthcare by emphasizing the importance of healthier food selections to combat obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, as well as promoting increased physical exercise. Our physical health workshop will educate our participants on the impact of food and exercise for overall quality of life and improved vitality; 2) provide mental health awareness by increasing the early detection of mental health issues. Our mental health workshop will educate our participants on anxiety and depressive disorder, learning disabilities, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); 3) promote and improve financial literacy. Our financial workshops will educate our participants in decreasing long-term financial pitfalls, divulge processes to promote financial literacy by teaching strategies for the development of short-and-long-term savings and investment plans, illustrate family financial planning by using budgets, financial and debt management tools, addressing wealth disparity, and stressing the importance of using life insurance as a generational wealth practice; and 4) eradicate food insecurity. Our home-grown gardens workshop will educate our participants on planting and growing sustainable fruits and vegetables at home.

🔊THE FRED SOMERSET MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 📢

The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program is proud to sponsor Springfield Central High School's Class of 1988 during their 35th Class Reunion. Our organization is especially excited to sponsor the reunion this year in honor of our board member, Edward "Jamil" Miller, who is a very proud member of the Class of 1988. The great Class of 1988 enjoys a reunion every five years and is known for producing multiple educators and community leaders. Springfield Central High School is located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program sends congratulations to the Class of 1988!! Furthermore, during this Veterans Day weekend, we would like to recognize our board member retired SKC Chief United States Coast Guard Mr. Edward "Jamil" Miller for his 25 years of service!!!! Salute my Brother!!!

The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program would like to thank Ms. Mariana Souza, Director of Finance, and Ms. Sabrina Schwab, Human Resource Director, at the JW Marriot Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for meeting with our Executive Director, Jermaine Somerset, to discuss a partnership for The Marriott English Language Project. The Marriott English Language Project is our newest scholarship project created specifically to benefit associates of the JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro who desire to speak the English language fluently. Associates in the project will be awarded financial assistance to enroll as students in “Path to Fluency.” The Path to Fluency course is taught by instructor, Mr. Jonatas “Teacher Jonatas” Lourenco. Our organization intentionally collaborated with Teacher Jonatas for The Marriott English Language Project because we have great confidence in Teacher Jonatas’ qualifications to accomplish the vision of this unique project. Our organization has already enrolled two JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro associates in The Marriott English Language Project: Ms. Lorraine Santos and Ms. Erika Bento. Ms. Santos and Ms. Bento are members of the hospitality staff, and both are experiencing a significant increase in their ability to speak the English language and to confidently engage with hotel guests who visit the JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro.

Jermaine Somerset, Executive Director of The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program attended the Juneteenth celebration in Farrell, Pennsylvania on Saturday, June 17, 2023. 

The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program would like to extend our gratitude again to Mayor Kimberly Doss and the Farrell Police Department in support of the recent Legacy Cultural Project, a cultural trip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama sponsored by the program during which Farrell, Pennsylvania high school students, family, and community leaders explored deep South history and engaged in nightly Q & A sessions reflecting on the day’s activities and the creation of steps aimed at increased positive community development for the future. The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program stands together with Mayor Doss and the Farrell Police Department in combined efforts to continue the goal of the Legacy Cultural Project with discussions of innovative and progressive ideas to embrace a collaborative approach to the fostering of healing by bridging divides within the City of Farrell. 

The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program is extremely excited to have sponsored Farrell, Pennsylvania high school students, family, and community leaders on The Legacy Cultural Project, a cultural trip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. Student Syon Rain (Class of 2024), his mother Roxanne West, Student Destini McDonald (Class of 2026), her grandmother Deborah Gavins, Student Brielle Foore (Class of 2028), her mother Tonya Foore, Mayor Kimberly Doss, School Board Member Reverend Tiffany Holden, and Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Emily Clare attended the trip hosted by The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program and its Founder/Executor Director, Jermaine Somerset (1991 Farrell High School graduate). The group visited the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama (the site of the brutal “Bloody Sunday”), The Legacy Museum (located on the site of a former warehouse where Black people were forced to labor), the Riverfront Park in downtown Montgomery, and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (a memorial to the 4,400 African Americans who were lynched in this country between 1877 and 1950). Mr. Somerset engaged the group in nightly Q & A sessions to reflect on the day’s activities and the development of steps aimed at increased positive community development for the future. The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program understands the importance of building strong community relations. To accomplish this goal, the program focuses on the “Four Pillars” that are a foundation of our communities: Citizens, Community Leadership, Law Enforcement, and Education. We are strongly committed to the process of activism, and we promote a collaborative approach to the fostering of healing by bridging divides between those four pillars. The Fred Somerset Memorial Scholarship Program is proud to continue its mission of giving back to the City of Farrell, Pennsylvania.