Kofi Boakye's Beyond The Keys youth program introduces students to pieces of his journey and the resilience of being raised by a single mom, overcoming homelessness, and nearly quitting piano lessons.

Akron

Kofi Boakye, a pianist and Akron native, has introduced the Beyond the Keys scholarship campaign to support local high school seniors excelling in arts or athletics. The campaign, which includes the inaugural Elevating Possibility scholarship, is designed to help recipients with expenses such as housing, transportation, food, and tuition, and is intended to inspire youth to pursue their ambitions.

Boakye's efforts are supported by Cleveland Cavaliers star Larry Nance Jr., who was moved by Boakye's advocacy for arts education and his personal story of resilience. The scholarship winners are being announced at Buchtel Community Learning Center during the annual Harvest Festival and Student Showcase.

Kofi Boakye gets an assist from Cavs star to empower Akron youth

When Kofi Bawanche plays the piano, it is electric. When he shares his story, it's inspiring. Now the Akron native turned viral star told me last year that his hometown of Akron will always have his heart. If I can show that other kid that's watching me right now that's from this city, from Akron, Ohio, or from Northeast Ohio, that any dream that you do is capable of being achieved, then I'm doing my job. And I'm checking back in because tonight he is launching his Beyond the Keys scholarship campaign and it's backed by a team, including a local NBA fan favorite. From winning a national competition to landing a role in the Whitney Houston biopic and touring with big names, making a difference in Akron has always been Kofi Bawanche's passion. I don't wanna limit, I just wanna elevate possibility. His Beyond the Keys youth program showing students all over pieces of his journey. The resilience of being raised by a single mother, overcoming homelessness, and nearly quitting piano lessons. Just to see the faces of so many kids from all across this country find light in my story and also find a way in theirs. I mean, that's what this is all about. Tonight at Buchtel Community Learning Center in Akron, several seniors excelling in arts or athletics will be receiving Kofi's inaugural Elevating Possibility scholarship. The exact amount is a surprise. This can be used for housing or transportation, food, tuition, just kind of helping that person get to the next level, the next step in their journey. Absolutely, no limits to how far you can go and how far you can utilize this scholarship for yourself and grow with it and go with it and do what they can to also be the next Kofi talking to Damon to give back to this community. Stepping up to assist Kofi. He's someone that I believe in and I'm really excited. Akron's own and Cleveland Cavaliers star, Larry Nance Jr. I'm not very artistic. I can't draw, I wish I could sing or dance or any of that, I can't, but I admire it. I admire it so much. That's why Larry reached out to Kofi. The passion and his delivery of his speech just really, really, really moved me and I just told him, look, I'm in. Inspired after watching this viral video of Kofi telling the Akron Board of Education last summer why arts programming in schools matters. And should never be cut. The creativity in the community of our kids, it can't be viewed as a casualty or looked at as collateral. There's a way to get to where you wanna get to and here are two people that you can look to that can be a resource for you. Kids from Akron, we pair up and we find the way that we can make this community and make the city that we're from even brighter and even better. Now the scholarship winners are being announced tonight at Buchtel's annual Harvest Festival and Student Showcase and it goes on until eight o'clock tonight.

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Washington

Ukraine Invasion

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Kyiv

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Cambridge

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Beirut

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Johannesburg

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Breakdown