“It’s not just good will, it’s God’s will,” Rickey Whittington said as he sat with Harris-Stowe State University President Dr. Dwaun Warmack and legendary soul crooner Ron Isley in the school’s library to announce the forthcoming Ron Isley Initiative.
Partnering with Whittington’s R Whittington Foundation and Notifi Records, Isley is preparing to launch a series of programming aid in providing local students with two full scholarships annually to attend the St. Louis Metropolitan area’s only HBCU. The initiative will officially launch with a black tie gala/benefit concert on May 20at The Peabody Opera House.
“It’s gonna be so much fun,” Isley said during of the gala during an interview with KTVI Fox 2. “I hope it’s one of those great things that happen in St. Louis [every year].
Whittington and Isley have been friends for several years. Four or five years ago, they started talking about how they could use their respective spheres of influence to partner in helping to make the city a better place.
Whittington has been giving back independently through toy and food drives and recently launched the R. Whittington Foundation. Isley is a St. Louis transplant with a heart for the city. Together they hope to build a legacy of creating opportunities for higher learning.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award honoree was spurred into action after meeting with Warmack.
“Last year he said, ‘I’m ready,” Warmack said of Isley.
The Ron Isley Initiative will debut with the Ron Isley and Friends Black Tie Gala, but the sky is the limit as far as how Isley, Warmack, Whittington and Notifi Records Founder and CEO Ira DeWitt hope to collaborate in helping grant access to the type of quality education Harris-Stowe provides.
“I see music and education as building instruments not just for our communities, but also as a way of implementing change in our world,” DeWitt said. “Through this program I’d like to create a platform that would allow students to maintain hope and explore the opportunities of the impossible.”
The Ron Isley Scholarships will financially support graduating seniors from a St. Louis area high school with full tuition and room and board.
“My goal is to have a major impact helping the community through the blessings of my own success stories,” Isley said. “Being an inspiration as well as a tool to helping educate our youth is a wonderful feeling and I’m excited.”
Programming tied to the Ron Isley Institute is forthcoming. He could have been joking when he mentioned a “Who’s That Lady Luncheon,” but the city will know for sure soon enough. The title does have a nice ring to it. All parties are eager to get things started and anticipating its growth. They hope The Ron Isley Initiative becomes a blueprint for facilitating similar partnerships – and ultimately a national model for others seeking to use their celebrity and influence for a greater good.
“Harris-Stowe is honored and sincerely grateful to Ron Isley for his dedication to the St. Louis community and his willingness send students to and through college, and we are proud to carry his legacy by transforming the Ron Isley Scholars into professionals and community leaders,” Warmack said.
If young people have the opportunity to get an education, I think that becomes an equalizer. I thank Rickey for bringing all of these pieces together – and I thank Mr. Isley for his foresight and willingness to do this.”
The Ron Isley and Friends Black Tie Benefit Concert will take place on May 20, 2017 at The Peabody Opera House. More details about the show will be provided as they become available. For more information about the Ron Isley Initiative at Harris-Stowe State University, visit www.hssu.edu.
