On June 2nd Hudson Valley Concierge Service partnered with Community Matters 2 to award scholarships to two students from Poughkeepsie High School. The Reach for the Stars Scholarship was created by Micah Bennett and L’Quette Taylor. Micah’s role as Communication Director for CM2 gives him the ability to be a public liaison for the community, listening to their concerns and facilitating solutions. He also assists in planning events and supports L’Quette and the CM2 mission throughout the local area.
“I thought to myself, why can’t we doing something bigger, two men working together to benefit others. Put your best foot forward and lead by example.”
Micah Bennett
Micah shared how he became involved in the organization and scholarship fund. “I joined the CM2 Board because it’s mission aligned with my passion for community and my personal goals. As an entrepreneur, I always wanted to give back. I wanted a way to be a source of inspiration for others. As my business grew, I was introduced to L’Quette while attending several local events. I would hear him speaking at these events and thought, who is this guy? I was extremely impressed with what he was accomplishing with is organization. I knew he and I were going to were going to be best friends. From there, we rolled together like rocks down a hill.”
Micah has a strong vision and endless passion. He loves serving others in his community. “I should be able to connect and work with people regardless of their positions, jobs, class, etc.”
During the past year, many scholarships, and donations to non-profit organizations in the local area have dropped off significantly. It was then that Micah knew this was the perfect opportunity to do more.
“I thought to myself, why can’t we doing something bigger, two men working together to benefit others. Put your best foot forward and lead by example. If we can use our influence and platforms collectively, we could counteract all the negative we are hearing about on the news. Too many good things in our community get drowned out among the noise. This was our way to give back.”
Micah Bennett
Micah continued, “We wanted to go big and make an impact and follow the momentum. Our community really needs it now. I thought, what do our people need? What is the next step for our community? We found that education of kids 11-17 is our sweet spot and that would make the most impact.”
Micah shared where some of his drive came from. A few great mentors from his past came to mind.
“When I was in school, Mr. Goodermoulte taught me entrepreneurship. I loved that class. He told us that risk is inevitable. With entrepreneurship, it comes daily. He would ask the class, “What are you going to do with it and how will you have your customers understand what you do?” That phrase has stuck with me ever since.”
Micah shared insights from another influential mentor in his past. “Mr. Witte, my math teacher was amazing. He never gave up on me. He was a hard Brooklyn type of guy. He loved sharing the obvious, he was very “matter of fact speaking” and it resonated with me. I was able to relate with him at a deeper level. Learning the value of math taught me how far in life numbers would take you. He never gave up on me, he worked tirelessly to teach me the basics and laid a strong foundation for my life. With him I took away the power of focus. You may not like everything, but you need to know a little bit about something.”
With a solid foundation of drive and community spirit, it easily shines a light on how Micah’s effort to give back has been a common thread throughout his life and career. This year Hudson Valley Concierge and Community Matters 2 gave out several scholarships totaling $3750 dollars to students from Poughkeepsie and Highland High Schools.
On a recent Facebook video posted after the event, L’Quette Taylor shared how impressed he was about this year’s recipients. “One of the things that I saw that was truly inspiring to me was this year’s achievements. The Poughkeepsie High School Valedictorian had a 101 GPA. The Salutatorian had a 99.8 GPA. Each were two black women. That is amazing and should be celebrated.”
Micah shared his vision for the future of the joint scholarship. “Our goal is to give 5 to 10 student scholarships in the coming years. We are aiming high and want to make a huge impact. Whether we achieve it physically or not, that is the goal we will achieve with community support.”
This year’s Reach for the Stars Scholarship winners included 6 students, Makayla Lanier, Raejanae A. Wilson and Carlos Reyes of Poughkeepsie High School. Highland High School winners included Dana Georghiou, Christian Schaible, and Destinie Clarke.
If you or your business would like to join HVCS and CM2 in honoring the next generation of students with college scholarships, you can reach out to L’Quette Taylor at cm2pkny@gmail.com or Micah Bennett at info@hvconcierge.com for details.
About the sponsoring companies:
Started in 2018, Community Matters 2, Inc. has fostered the connections between local Poughkeepsie organizations to take pride in their neighborhoods and to focus on the younger generation coming up. We believe for a community to thrive, people must work together and be the change or improvement they are asking for. Visit their web site here: https://www.communitymatters2.org/
HV Concierge began servicing clients in 2012. It was created to fill a growing need across the Hudson Valley for personal and transportation services for busy individuals, businesses, and families alike. It’s mission is to provide 3 exceptional services: Transportation, Delivery and Personal. Their premise is to give clients their time back being in 2 places at 1 time. They are a full-service business that covers Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties as well as the surrounding area. Learn more about their services by visiting HV Concierge on The DPVN Network at: https://www.dpvn.net/hvconciergeservice