Morehouse making a joyful noise for a good cause

The famed Morehouse College Glee Club will perform Friday night at Old South Church in Boston. (Photo: Morehouse College)

In what has become an annual two-day celebration of music and distinction, Boston will host the 7th Morehouse MoreJazz Weekend, a scholarship fundraiser supporting Boston youth and sponsored by the Greater Boston Morehouse College Alumni Association (GBMCAA).

On Saturday, Morehouse will honor three notable men and women who have greatly impacted education in the Boston community in a ceremony at the Renaissance Hotel.

Among these honorees is Carol Fulp, the vice president of Community Relations and Sponsorship at John Hancock Financial Services, where she oversees the corporate giving program. Fulp has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work in the community, including the African American Achievement Award from Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Fulp was also recently nominated by President Barack Obama to represent the United States at the 65th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

“It is a pleasure to be honored by the Morehouse Alumni Association for my educational efforts on behalf of Boston youth,” Fulp said via e-mail. “Morehouse is an exemplary institution. We are so fortunate to have so many alumni in Boston who on a daily basis nurture and develop our next generation of leaders.”

Also being honored are Rev. Dr. Gregory G. Groover, the pastor of the Charles Street AME Church and chairman of the Education Committee of the Black Ministerial Alliance, and John S. Wilson, Jr., Ed.D, the executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Both men are Morehouse graduates.

Hosted by “CityLine’s” Karen Holmes-Ward and Morehouse alumnus Derek ”Fonzworth Bentley” Watkins, the gala will also feature a concert by Grammy-winning artist Chrisette Michele.

Dedicated to producing “Renaissance men,” Morehouse, a private, all-male historically black college in Atlanta and the alma mater of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., graduates more African American males than any other institution. According to school president Dr. Robert Michael Franklin, the “Renaissance man,” is “well read, well traveled, well spoken, well dressed, and well balanced.”

The GBMCAA ensures that notion is brought to this city as well.

“As Morehouse College celebrates 144 years of Renaissance, the GBMCAA continues to financially support Boston area high school students’ opportunity to pursue a more exceptional scholastic experience that challenges and stimulates the intellectual, moral and social potential. With the help of the Boston community, we can increase our support to prospective students,” said GBMCAA President William M. Hayes in a statement.

The two-day event kicks off tomorrow with a performance by the Morehouse College Glee Club at Old South Church, where the concert has been held for more than 20 years. Tickets are $30 and available at morejazz.gbmcaa.org/tickets. Doors open at 6 p.m.