(BOSTON, MA) October 24, 2011 - Wheelock College celebrates Emily Daddio, a Somerville local, along with 17 other Passion for Action Scholars at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, November 16, 2011 from 6-9 p.m. The third Passion for Action Leadership Award Dinner will celebrate the positive social entrepreneurship of the Wheelock scholarship recipients. Dr. Carol R. Johnson, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, and Dr. Linda N. Nathan, Founder and Co-Headmaster of Boston Arts Academy, will be honored with the 2011 Passion for Action Leadership Award. Karen Keating Ansara, co-founder of the Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation, will present the keynote address.

Wheelock College’s four-year Passion for Action Scholarship Program is given to greater Boston area students who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to community service and involvement. Daddio received Wheelock College’s highly selective Passion for Action Scholarship in 2008. She is now a senior and working toward a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Special Education with a focus in Children, Families and Culture.

Daddio Graduated from Somerville High School in 2008. As a part of the Passion for Action Program, she has gotten the unique opportunity to work in an Early Intervention Program in Jamaica Plain, where she worked with children with exceptional needs. Daddio has also traveled to New Orleans and West Africa, serving various communities.

The mission of the Passion for Action scholarship is to support students in learning to nurture and apply their passion to become leaders for positive change in their communities, the nation and the world. The scholarship is paired with a unique academic program that develops the students’ leadership and community service skills. In May 2012, the first five Passion Scholars, referred to as “Passioneers,” will be graduating. Wheelock plans to award five scholarships each year. The proceeds from the 2011 Passion for Action Leadership Award Dinner will support the growth of this special scholarship program.

For tickets and sponsorship opportunities:

Please contact Lauren Marquis at (617) 879 2328 or lmarquis@wheelock.edu or visit: www.wheelock.edu/wheelock/giving/passion-for-action.