The Mahone Foundation is proud to announce recipients of the Dr. Bryan Albrecht Living Legend Award, and the Shebaniah B. Muhammad Signature Award for 2025. The awards will be presented during the 25th Anniversary Reaching for Rainbows “Pursuit of Excellence” Scholarship Gala on Friday, May 9.
Peace Learning Circles of Kenosha, and Pastor Melvin Hargrove of Racine will receive the Dr. Bryan Albrecht Living Legend Award. The Golden Girls – Denise Wagner, Diane Montgomery, Glendora Cunningham, Cassandra Wagner Cokes, Zenobia Hicks, and the Aiello family of Kenosha will receive the Shebaniah B. Muhammad Signature Award.
Reaching for Rainbows “Pursuit of Excellence” Scholarship Gala will be held Friday, May 9, at the N.E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center (TARC) on the campus of Carthage College in Kenosha. The event begins with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by the dinner program at 6:15 p.m. A limited number of tickets are available at $75 per person and can be purchased at the Mahone Foundation website www.mahonefund.org or by contacting chairman@mahonefund.org.
The Dr. Bryan Albrecht Living Legend award recognizes the accomplishments of individuals or organizations representing Mary Lou and Arthur Mahone’s multicultural, humanitarian, and educational philosophy.
“I would like to say thank you to the Mahone Foundation for this great honor,” said Pastor Hargrove, Zoё Outreach Ministries. “I truly consider myself very blessed to have been considered and ultimately selected to be in the company of others who have received such a distinguished honor. I truly believe we are placed here to serve and when we serve, humanity is elevated, enhanced and enriched.”
Aligned closely with the Mahone Foundation mission, this is Peace Learning Circles’ 19th year of teaching and practicing peace, teamwork, respect for everyone along with bullying prevention and positive mindset strategies for students and teachers in Kenosha and Racine. “All of us at Peace Learning Circles are deeply honored and humbled to be the recipients of the very prestigious Mahone Foundation Dr. Bryan Albrecht Living Legend Award. Words cannot express our gratitude,” said Joe Mangi, Peace Learning Circles president.
The Shebaniah B. Muhammad Signature Award honors individuals and organizations for their continuous leadership and support of the Mahone Foundation. The Aiello family has worked closely with the Mahone Foundation to create scholarships that help provide the opportunity for affordable education.
“We are truly humbled that the Mahone Foundation would consider our family for the Shebaniah B. Muhammad Signature award, knowing that so many other people selflessly donate their time, talent and treasures to make these scholarships available,” said Tom Aiello. “We are blessed and honored to have known the Mahone family for almost 60 years. We know and understand the importance the Mahone scholarships play in the lives of young scholars. We thank the Mahone Foundation for its hard work, and we congratulate the scholarship recipients.”
The Golden Girls is a group of women from the New Brighter Day Baptist Church and the Second Baptist Church in Kenosha who describe themselves as fun and faithful. The Golden Girls have dedicated their volunteer service for the benefit of the community and their connection with Reaching for Rainbows goes back to the inaugural scholarship gala 25 years ago. “As God’s servants, the Golden Girls are deeply honored to receive this award. Our family ties go back generations with the Mahone family, and they will always have a special place in our hearts,” said Golden Girl Denise Wagner. “We are very proud to align our support with the positive work the Mahone Foundation does to uplift the city of Kenosha.”
In addition to the Dr. Bryan Albrecht and Shebaniah B. Muhammad awards, Mahone Foundation Career Exploration Organization (CEO) scholarships, along with Herzing University and Carthage College scholarships will be awarded to high school students from Kenosha and Racine at the gala. This year marks the first time in the 25-year history of Reaching for Rainbows that scholarships will be awarded to students from both cities.
Reaching for Rainbows and Mahone Foundation CEO scholarships honor the inspiring legacy of Mary Lou and Arthur F. Mahone. The Mahone Foundation mission supports educational goals of students and continues to provide educational opportunities for economically and academically deserving youth while supporting healthy lifestyle initiatives in communities of color.
The Mary Lou and Arthur F. Mahone Foundation is a proud partner of the United Way of Kenosha County and to ensure ongoing positive community impact, the United Way of Kenosha County will serve as the Mahone Foundation’s fiscal sponsor to help broaden horizons and expand services.
In support of its mission, the Mahone Foundation also presents the popular Lincoln Park Live Music Series each summer, the Harbor Park Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Festival on Kenosha’s lakefront, and the PowerUp: College and Resource Fair.
