PISTONS, ROCK & SHOCK RECOGNIZE BLACK HISTORY MONTH TOUR WINNERS
Pistons Legend Rick Mahorn and Rock Financial's David Hall Culminate Tour on Feb. 21 at The Palace
$10,000 in Scholarships Awarded to 11 Students, Courtesy of Rock Financial
Auburn Hills, MI — The 2007 Detroit Pistons, Detroit Shock and Rock Financial "Know Your Black History Tour" touched the lives of 1,500 students at 10 Michigan schools. Eleven students will be presented a total of $10,000 in scholarships courtesy of Rock Financial at halftime of the Pistons game vs. Orlando on February 21 at 7:30 p.m. at The Palace.
Pistons legend and WNBA Detroit Shock Assistant Coach Rick Mahorn, and Rock Financial's David Hall and President Patrick McInnis will present oversized checks to Kendra Bradfield (Detroit) of Detroit Northwestern, Orlando Oree (Detroit) and Eric Taylor (Roseville) of Arts Academy In The Woods, Gabrielle Evans (Southfield) and China Dew (Southfield) of Southfield Lathrup, Megan Ricks (Pontiac) and Jasmine Angus (Pontiac) of Pontiac Northern, Ashnee Young (Grand Blanc) of Grand Blanc High School, Judea Walker (Flint) and Lykia McDaniel (Flint) of Flint Central, and online winner Aaron Mccullar (Livonia) of Clarenceville High School.
"The student presentations this year continued to impress everyone," said Pistons legend and WNBA Detroit Shock Assistant Coach Rick Mahorn. "In fact, they impressed us so much that we ended up awarding $4,000 more than originally anticipated. This wouldn't have been possible without the great content provided by the students and the generosity of Rock Financial. We will continue to help impact lives with this initiative in the future."
"This year's tour was a tremendous success and we are proud to have been a part of it again this year. We saw outstanding performances and the students' creativity in these competitions has been fantastic," said David Hall of Rock Financial. "It has also been a great way for Rock Financial to make an investment in the future of our community by supporting some of the bright, young minds who could very possibly be our future leaders."
Mahorn and Hall headlined the tour and were joined at select locations by personalities, including current Pistons players Ronald Dupree and Amir Johnson, NBA Community Ambassador and Pistons legend Bob Lanier and WNBA Champion Detroit Shock guard Elaine Powell. Other distinguished figures made appearances along the way, including members of the Tuskegee Airmen, Dennis Archer, Jr. - President of Archer Corporate Services, WJLB's Dr. Darrius and My TV20's Sara Norah-Phillips and Sharon McClendon.
Students from Detroit high schools Mumford, Northwestern, Pershing, Renaissance and Cody participated in the tip-off event on February 1 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Arts Academy in the Woods (Fraser), Southfield Lathrup High School, Pontiac Northern High School, Flint Central High School, Flint Northwestern High School and Grand Blanc High School also participated at various locations.
At each tour stop, five pre-selected students competed in a three-minute oral competition. The distinguished guests judged the competition, and selected winners. Each winner received a $1,000 scholarship for higher education from Rock Financial. The runners-up received a $100 Visa Check gift card courtesy of Rock Financial and the Pistons-Palace Foundation.
High school students from around the State of Michigan also had an opportunity to compete for one $1,000 scholarship in conjunction with this tour. Students applied on-line at www.pistons.com or www.rockfinancial.com. Pistons media partner My TV20 helped promote the statewide online competition via television spots and their website.
| Dates | Locations: | Personalities | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 1 | Charles H. Wright Museum | Mahorn, Dupree, Johnson, Lanier, Hall, Powell, Dr. Darrius | Kendra Bradfield |
| February 7 | Arts Academy in the Woods (Fraser) | Mahorn, Powell, Dr. Darrius, Wendy Kemp | Orlando Oree and Eric Taylor |
| February 9 | Southfield Lathrup High School | Mahorn, Hall, Powell, Dr. Darrius | Gabrielle Evans and China Dew |
| February 13 | Pontiac Northern High School | Mahorn, Powell, Dr. Darrius | Megan Ricks and Jasmine Angus |
| February 15 | Flint - Several Area Schools | Mahorn, Hall | Ashnee Young, Judea Walker and Lykia McDaniel |
| February 1-16 | www.pistons.com/community | Aaron Mccullar | |
| February 21 | Pistons game vs. Orlando | Mahorn, Hall, Pat McInnis, 10 Scholarship Winners | All Of The Above |
About Rock Financial. Rock Financial is a Quicken Loans Company. Quicken Loans Inc. consists of Quicken Loans, the nation's largest online lender and Rock Financial, Michigan's largest mortgage company. Employing more than 4,000 people, the company has been ranked in the "Top 20" of FORTUNE Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" list for four consecutive years, and #1 on Computerworld's list of "100 Best Places to Work in Technology" for the past two years. Visit www.RockFinancial.com for more information. For more information about a career with Rock Financial or Quicken Loans, visit www.QuickenLoansCareers.com.
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