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Community Corner

Atlanta Hawks Star Elton Brand Surprises Local Student with $5,000 College Scholarship

Outstanding Atlanta area students Montavious Williams and Nura Mohammad thought they were participating in a basketball exercise clinic with their peers, when Hawks Forward Elton Brand, along with Sun Life Regional Group Manager Kevin Kuzon and Sun Life Voluntary Benefits Practice Leader Michael Otis surprised them and their supporting nonprofit organizations Raising Expectations and The Global Village Project with a total of $110,000 in grants and scholarships as part of the Sun Life Rising Star Awards program.

The private basketball clinic took place at Highland Athletic Club Thursday night, where Brand was on hand to lead more than 60 Atlanta youth from both nonprofits in a variety of basketball drills and games. After the surprise announcement, Brand also conducted a Q&A session with the youth, giving them insight to his background growing up, and what it takes to succeed in life and in school.

Raising Expectations and The Global Village Project each received $50,000 grants, while Williams and Mohammad received $5,000 Sun Life Rising Star college scholarships for their remarkable educational achievements and commitment to their community. The Sun Life Rising Star Awards program provides financial resources to highly-motivated students and nonprofit organizations in large urban school districts committed to encouraging under-served youth to stay in school. The program also promotes the importance of higher education as a means to achieve life-long financial wellness.

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This year, Sun Life will provide nearly $1 million in grants, scholarships and other resources to outstanding organizations and students in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Nashville and South Florida. By the end of 2013, Sun Life will have invested nearly $4 million to recognize a total of 70 students and 63 nonprofit organizations in 14 U.S. cities, since the program began in 2010.
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