Bellingham's Kamara Awarded NewBridge on the Charles Scholarship
Oct 27, 2020 11:00AM ● By Pamela Johnson
Bellingham resident Sulaiman Kamara has received a scholarship from residents at NewBridge on the Charles, a Hebrew SeniorLife senior living campus in Dedham. The residents established the NewBridge on the Charles Scholarship Committee to fund the educational goals of NewBridge staff members. Hunter is one of 10 NewBridge staff to be awarded a scholarship.
Kamara, who has worked at NewBridge as a second cook for 1-1/2 years, said he has “enjoyed every second of it.” He is studying mechanical engineering at University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
He said, “Working at NewBridge has taught me so much about life, including being caring, selfless and humble. It has improved my communication and social skills. This experience will always be with me. I’m proud of being part of the NewBridge family and will always make NewBridge proud, wherever I am.”
Residents of NewBridge on the Charles created and funded the scholarships. Members of the scholarship committee and many NewBridge residents remembered the support they received that helped them move ahead in their lives.
“One of the motivators was that the residents appreciate how valuable education is and that it’s a hallmark of our own personal histories,” said Benita Ross, co-chair of the Scholarship Fund. “There was an opportunity, in the midst of the pandemic, where the employees have remained so tremendously positive and supportive, for us as a community to pay it forward,” and support employees’ goals for furthering their education.
As committee member Jack Sobel explained, “Education took me out of a New York Lower East Side tenement. The young adults at NewBridge deserve to have the same shot at life that many of us had through a good education. They will give back to our society, and they are the future of America.”
The first 10 awardees were recognized in a celebratory Zoom ceremony broadcast to the community in August. The committee is now gearing up to raise funds to issue scholarships for subsequent years.
Kamara, who has worked at NewBridge as a second cook for 1-1/2 years, said he has “enjoyed every second of it.” He is studying mechanical engineering at University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
He said, “Working at NewBridge has taught me so much about life, including being caring, selfless and humble. It has improved my communication and social skills. This experience will always be with me. I’m proud of being part of the NewBridge family and will always make NewBridge proud, wherever I am.”
Residents of NewBridge on the Charles created and funded the scholarships. Members of the scholarship committee and many NewBridge residents remembered the support they received that helped them move ahead in their lives.
“One of the motivators was that the residents appreciate how valuable education is and that it’s a hallmark of our own personal histories,” said Benita Ross, co-chair of the Scholarship Fund. “There was an opportunity, in the midst of the pandemic, where the employees have remained so tremendously positive and supportive, for us as a community to pay it forward,” and support employees’ goals for furthering their education.
As committee member Jack Sobel explained, “Education took me out of a New York Lower East Side tenement. The young adults at NewBridge deserve to have the same shot at life that many of us had through a good education. They will give back to our society, and they are the future of America.”
The first 10 awardees were recognized in a celebratory Zoom ceremony broadcast to the community in August. The committee is now gearing up to raise funds to issue scholarships for subsequent years.
