The African Hall Subcommittee of the Springfield Museums will present the 22nd annual Ubora Award and the 5th annual Ahadi Youth Award at a ceremony on Saturday, September 21, at 6 pm, at the Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts at the Quadrangle. Springfield residents Katie and Bob Glasgow have been selected to receive the Ubora Award, and Raekwon Wheeler will receive the Ahadi Youth Award.

The Ubora Award, which means excellence in Swahili, is presented to an African-American who has made a significant contribution to the greater Springfield area. The Ahadi Youth Award, which means promise, is presented to an African-American young person who demonstrates strong character, leadership, academic achievement, and future potential.

Katie and Bob Glasgow have lived in the Springfield area for the greater part of this half century, and both retired after 41 years on the job ( Bob at the U.S. Postal Service and Katie as a histology technician at Noble, Ludlow, and Baystate Hospitals).  Bob and Katie have both spent much of their time volunteering for various charities and organizations, and their nomination for this award is based on their overarching contributions to the Springfield community. Between the two, they volunteer for a total of 17 different local agencies.

Katie Glasgow has had many varied volunteer positions at First Church of Christ, UCC including: Social Chair of the Women’s Benevolent Society, Sunday School teacher and coordinator, flower deliverer to the sick, delegate to the Council of Churches, director of Cradle Roll, Chairman of the Board of Deacons, and an executive role on the Church and Ministry Committee for Hampden Association, UCC. Katie is also a volunteer at the Springfield Library and is part of the STARR program at Carew Street Head Start, and at Liberty Street School’s kindergarten at which she helps young children to learn to read.

Bob has also had a vast and varied volunteering career. He delivers communion to the sick and shut-ins of his church, delivers food through the Mason-Wright Center and the Urban League, reads to children at Kensington School, attends Board of Trustee meetings at Classical Condominiums, and helps as an usher at the Majestic Theater and Symphony Hall. Bob is active in the United Way and gives  public speeches on behalf of the Pioneer Valley chapter to numerous companies. He is also a Faith in Action representative, and Vice President of the Armoury-Quadrangle Civic Association.

Raekwon Wheeler, the Ahadi Youth Award winner, is described as an “incredibly lively, confident, engaging young man”. He has proven himself as a leader in both academics and community service. An incoming senior at Springfield Central High School, Raekwon is in the top 5% of his class, and his outstanding interpersonal skills have made him an enormous contributor to the Central High School community. Raekwon was the Junior Class President, and currently is news anchor for the school’s broadcasting network and a member of the National Honor Society.

Raekwon not only strives for excellence at school, but also contributes to the community, mentoring youth and assisting at events at the YMCA. Notably, Raekwon attended the Conference on National Affairs last summer, represented Massachusetts at the national level of the YMCA’s Youth in Government Program, and also participated in the “Keep Springfield Beautiful” initiative program. Along with his academic and service activities, Raekwon has an internship with the Baystate Medical Center and Allied Youth Program.

The Ubora and Ahadi Award presentations will be followed by a reception at the Springfield Science Museum across the Quadrangle.        

Admission to the event is $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12.  For information or advance reservations, call 413.263.6800, ext. 325.