Restaurant Firm, Black Press Award Annual Scholarships - AFC Enterprises Foundation, National Newspaper Publishers Association - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Black Issues in Higher Education, August 16, 2001

ATLANTA

Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises Foundation, in collaboration with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), awarded the annual Xernona Clayton Black Press Scholarship Fund during the 61st annual NNPA convention in Atlanta.

The annual scholarship fund, named in honor of Clayton, creator and executive producer of the Turner Broadcasting Trumpet Awards, was given to five NNPA member newspapers who awarded internships in the amount of $1,000 each to deserving students. "AFC is committed to educational initiatives and this partnership with the NNPA allows us the opportunity to give back to the community in a meaningful way," says Frank Belatti, Chairman and CEO of AFC Enterprises. "At AFC, we believe that internships are the bridge between academia and the professional world, and we are excited that students will have an opportunity to enhance their professional development and increase their potential for future employment."

This year's awardees for the scholarship fund were the Atlanta Daily World, the Atlanta Tribune, the Atlanta Inquirer, the Champion and the Atlanta Voice.

The scholarship recipients awarded an internship by the NNPA member newspapers were Rivea Ruff, a senior at Shiloh High School interning at the Atlanta Daily World and pursuing a career in journalism; Kahnica Cole, a junior at California State University, majoring in journalism and fashion merchandising and interning with the Atlanta Tribune; Virgil Lee Walker IV, a computer science major attending joint programs at Atlanta Metropolitan College and Atlanta Technical College and interning with the Atlanta Inquirer; Shemika Morris, a senior at Clark Atlanta University majoring in broadcast journalism and interning at the Atlanta Voice; and Jia Teneice Gayles, a junior attending Agnes Scott College with an English literature/creative writing major, interning with the Champion.

Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises is the operator and franchiser of more than 3,628 restaurants, bakeries and cafes worldwide. The mission of the AFC Enterprises Foundation is to support programs in the areas of housing, education, cultural enrichment and environmental protection that build stronger families and encourage economic development in the communities where it does business. Since its inception, the AFC Enterprises Foundation has raised and donated more than $2.2 million to programs supporting housing and urban development initiatives worldwide.