(East Los Angeles, CA) January 6, 2022 [From The Editor’s Desk]: To our followers from Lincoln High School-Los Angeles, and of other schools located in East Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, Downtown Los Angeles, Watts, Compton, and Inglewood, we are publishing this full press announcement that was released by the Los Angeles Rams’ Corporate Communications Department, informing the public of this outstanding project that has been created with your students being given a Priority consideration.

LOS ANGELES RAMS CREATE “KENNY WASHINGTON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP” TO PROVIDE UP TO FOUR YEARS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ASPIRING COLLEGE STUDENTS IN LOWER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES

[50/50 Raffle proceeds raised during Inspire Change Game on January 9 to help                     fund 13 scholarships for students]

To celebrate Kenny Washington and his impact on the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL, the Rams are creating a “Kenny Washington Memorial Scholarship” that will provide up to four years of financial support for students from lower resourced communities who are among the first in their families to pursue a postsecondary education. The scholarship is offered along with advisement support from Fulfillment Fund (FF), a partner of the Los Angeles Rams.

[Applicant Eligibility]:

• Applicants must be enrolled in their senior year of high school with an expected high school graduation date of June 2022.
• Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.0.
• Applicants must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) and must agree to submit their Student Aid Report (SAR) for verification.
• Applicants who meet any of the following conditions will be given priority consideration:
• Among the first generation in their family to attend college (i.e., neither parent attended college).
• Enrolled in Fulfillment Fund’s programs through its partner high schools.
• Enrolled at Lincoln High School (Kenny Washington’s alma mater).
• Reside in Inglewood, Watts, Compton, South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles or Downtown Los Angeles.
  

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For additional information on the scholarship, students are encouraged to visit www.therams.com/inspirechange.

All scholarship recipients will be provided with advisement and support from Fulfillment Fund and will be selected for their embodiment of Kenny Washington’s core values: perseverance in the face of adversity, dedication to their goals and the Los Angeles community, fortitude through breaking barriers, and inspiring others around them to make a difference.

Funded by the Rams Foundation, students who are accepted to a four-year college or enrolled in an accredited baccalaureate degree granting program will receive $5,000 per year for up to four years. Scholarship recipients that are accepted to and enroll in an accredited community college will receive $2,000 per year for up to two years.

Students may be eligible to receive additional financial support upon successful transfer to a four-year college. Proceeds from the Rams’ Inspire Change game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Jan. 9th will help fund the scholarships for the (13) students.

About Kenny Washington]: In 1946, the Rams broke the color barrier in the NFL with the signing of UCLA standout and L.A.-native, Kenny Washington, who was the first Black player to be signed by an NFL team in the modern era and ended a 12-year ban on Black players in the NFL. Washington played for the Rams for three seasons and still holds the team’s 92-yard rushing record.

[About the Los Angeles Rams Inspire Change]: Launched in 2019, Inspire Change is a league-wide platform that focuses on reducing barriers to opportunity and creating progress in education, economic advancement, community and police relations, and criminal justice reform.

The Los Angeles Rams Inspire Change efforts aim to create solutions that address community barriers and highlight stories and moments in Rams’ history that have inspired change on and off the field. From Kenny Washington and Woody Strode breaking the NFL color barrier by signing with the Rams in 1946 to former Rams Legend, James “Shack” Harris becoming the first Black quarterback to win a playoff game in 1974, the Rams are committed to pioneering with a purpose.

Throughout the year and as part of Inspire Change, the Rams will recognize individuals that are doing critical work to create positive change in their communities.

[About Fulfillment Fund]: The Fulfillment Fund is a life-changing organization that helps make college a reality for first-generation and lower-income students. Since 1977, we have been empowering students in Los Angeles to access and afford higher education. We partner with local high schools in educationally and economically under-resourced communities to support our students through college graduation and provide crucial life skills to help them transition into the workforce successfully. ###RAMS###

If you, our followers and other new viewers of our website, are connected as a parent, a student-athlete, or in any other way with the schools that are located in the cities that are designated in this release, please make every effort to share this with their school administrators and coaches. To learn more about Kenny Washington, here is a feature story we did to commemorate the 10th Anniversary Memorial Game played in his honor between Lincoln (LAUSD) and Franklin (LAUSD) on October 22, 2021.