WHEREAS, the Community Helping Our Indispensable Children Excel Grant (CHOICE), one of the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership’s grant programs, which is funded by Measure O, provides non-profits and schools with more than 10 million dollars to support youth and families in creating safe and healthy communities; and WHEREAS, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin receive CHOICE Grant funding to implement REACH (Re-Entering our community to achieve Academic success, good Character and a Healthy lifestyle) and The Club at Juvenile Hall to provide outreach, mediation, and intervention services, along with life skills education and cognitive development programs to change the lives of youth; and WHEREAS, the REACH program culminates in an annual recognition event held in May to award one outstanding youth, the Youth of the Year award; and WHEREAS, Malachi Morgan was awarded REACH Youth of the Year for his dedication and commitment to overcoming herculean barriers in his life, including graduating high school, and attending classes at the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) while serving a two-year sentence at the Sonoma County Juvenile Detention facility; and WHEREAS, since his release, Malachi has not only continued his studies at the SRJC but has been able to maintain a full-time job, attain housing on his own, and recently received an internship with the Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that, I, Chris Rogers, Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa, on behalf of the entire City Council, do hereby congratulate and celebrate Malachi Morgan and recognize him as
YOUTH OF THE YEAR
Mayor Chris Rogers
June 21, 2022
Agenda Item #6.1
For Council Meeting of: June 21, 2022
Proclamation