On March 17, a five-year, $10,000 ($2,000 per year combined) endowment and scholarship check was presented to Glen Oaks High School by a school alumnus, Derrick T. Wilmer.  Not to be outdone, another alumnus, Eric B. Lewis and his family also announced an endowment to the school – for $5,000.  And there’s more to come!

The first endowment is on behalf of the late Quinton D. Wilmer (an alumnus) Memorial and Harvey Adger (the school’s current head boy’s basketball coach) Excellence of Leadership programs.  The presentation of a large check and speech/lecture focused on a quote by President Barack Obama regarding “Change Starts from the Bottom Up” and issues facing public schools.  Adger and Wilmer’s family attended.

Deddrick T. Wilmer, a Houston suburb resident with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Bloomington, Minn., graduated from the school in 1994 and is the brother of the late Quinton Wilmer.  He is giving a $10,000 endowment over the next five years to fund these two programs.

Part of the award will fund a scholarship and create a "Character with Leadership" class to assist incoming ninth-grade students who have discipline problems at their previous middle schools.  It will teach conflict resolution skills, character building, service programs-volunteer participation and leadership roles and related responsibilities to prepare students for life post high school. Faculty, current students who want to major in education once they enter college and the local and business communities can be part of the facilitation of and financial assistance for the class.

The second program being funded is the scholarship, and winners will be announced at graduation. The general award is given to a student(s) who has (have) a 2.5 GPA and has (have) been accepted at a college, university, technical school or other institution of higher learning.  The winner(s) must be active in multiple organizations, athletics and community involvement to be eligible for the award.

“In order to serve the community, you need to love the community,” Deddrick T. Wilmer said.  “In order to lead the community, you have to support the community.  … I want to give back to the community.  … It’s time for parents like myself to be held accountable.  Character is everything.  … Character counts, and it will follow you for the rest of your life.”

“With support such as this, the magic starts with you,” said East Baton Rouge Parish School System Superintendent John Dilworth to the high school’s faculty and staff.  “We are thankful for the support, and the district will be here to support our teachers, too.”

In addition, Lewis announced that he and his family will fund a $5,000 endowment. Lewis, who graduated from Glen Oaks High School in 1991, is president of the area Black Chamber of Commerce and a managing partner of Sable International.  The scholarship funds, hopefully full scholarships to students, will go to five graduating seniors in 2011 to apply for and obtain an engineering degree at Southern University.  The number of scholarships has not been determined yet. Lewis will be doing additional fundraising for the endowment this year.

This is the university Lewis attended to obtain the same degree on a scholarship, himself.  “The reason I’m doing this is that these are two institutions, the university and the high school, that are very important to me and had important roles in my life,” Lewis said.  “I want to offer something similar to other Glen Oaks High School students pursuing such a degree.”

While at Glen Oaks High School, Deddrick T. Wilmer was Student Body/Student Government Association board chairman, a member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association Law Explorers, a Kappa Alpha Psi High School/Guide Right Program leader and a teen writer/reporter for The Advocate.  He is the founder of the Gumbeaux Group company and brings real-life experience and a drive and passion to teach, motivate, empower, and support members of the community to pursue the dream of home ownership and its reality. He is a Community mortgage professional and currently facilitating an educational series presented across the country, “Anyone Can Buy a House, The Key is Who Can Maintain a Home?”  He has co-hosted “Knowledge is Power Hour” for Texas’ oldest urban and black-owned radio station, KCOH-AM, and has worked with Habitat for Humanity, Council on Aging, St. Peter Clever, Urban league and many others.  He studied at Louisiana State University and Talladega College.

For more information, contact Deddrick T. Wilmer at (281) 636-3638 or deddrick.wilmer@wellsfargo.com.   Lewis can be reached at (225) 343-4240 or elewis@sableint.net.  Glen Oaks High School Principal Wilbert August can be reached at (225) 356-4306.