"Community Organizations Come Together to Give Thanks and Give Hope"

March 14, 2014 - PRLog -- LEAP Foundation DC, founded by veteran military physician Dr. Clayton Lawrence, will join forces with the Northern Virginia Urban League the first weekend in April to honor military veterans and award scholarships to deserving area youth. With a theme of "Honored to Serve: Celebrating America's Veterans," the event will not only recognize the men and women who have served this nation, but for the first time, will also be a forum to outstanding veterans and their families assistance in identifying and securing housing and employment opportunities.

Having begun his medical career in the United States Army, Dr. Lawrence has always placed a strong emphasis on working to give back to the institutions and leaders that have so greatly impacted his own life. "As a veteran myself, taking the time to thank our men and women in uniform, both past and present, will always be of the utmost importance to me. Even more important, though, is the opportunity to help these phenomenal men and women overcome the obstacles and discouragement associated with the lack of job opportunities and housing options available to them when they return home from active duty or leave the military," says Lawrence. "It is our hope that our support of this event will only further the tremendous work that NVUL has been doing for years."

For nearly a quarter of a century, NVUL has provided a variety of program services for minority and other underserved communities. Primarily leading efforts in the African American community, the organization offers training and employment services, financial literacy workshops, mentoring initiatives, youth academics and life skills programs, and college scholarships. In the last decade alone, through the support of the community and other organizations like LEAP Foundation DC, NVUL has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarshipsto minority students.

This year, the Dr. Clayton G. Lawrence Endowment for Academic Excellence Scholarship will be added to the other awards that will be given to high school seniors in attendance. This award has previously been given to exceptional Washington D.C. area students looking to pursue postsecondary education. Dr. Lawrence awarded the first scholarship in 2010 stating, "My parents always emphasized the power of education when I was growing up. Coming from humble means, I realize that my opportunities to pursue education at the highest levels came because of scholarships and awards like these. It is now my responsibility to give these same opportunities to the next generation as often as I can."

To learn more about what you can do to support the Northern Virginia Urban League and LEAP Foundation DC visit http://www.nvul.org and http://leapfoundationdc.org.