MLK Scholars Program
Our program serves over 600 high school juniors and seniors annually in Boston. See resources below for getting your nonprofit involved.
MLK Scholars Program
Our program serves over 600 high school juniors and seniors annually in Boston. See resources below for getting your nonprofit involved.
This program provides summer jobs in corporate and community settings for more than 600 Boston teenagers. As a part of the summer experience, these participants will attend bi-weekly personal development workshops that incorporate the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. and focus on youth success on the job, at school and in the community. Scholars will build meaningful relationships with other youth and volunteer table facilitators while learning life skills through guest speakers and interactive group activities.
This year, in conjunction with the John Hancock Freedom 529 plan’s 20th anniversary, we were able to offer our first scholarship award. The winner received a $20,000 contribution to a John Hancock Freedom 529 plan account. The assets in the account can be used for qualified education expenses of the winner at any eligible institution of higher education. The scholarship was available to all 2021 summer Scholars. To enter, Scholars submitted a one-minute video to their future selves answering the following three questions:
- How did you live out Martin Luther King Jr's legacy of leadership?
- How did you make a positive change in your community or the world?
- How did your education help enable you to pursue your passion and make a change?
The winner of the John Hancock Freedom 529 20th Anniversary MLK Scholars Scholarship Award is Sarah Xu, a Scholar at Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center and current freshman at Boston University. You can see her winning submission here.
Important Dates
February 22nd:
Nonprofit Partner Open Office Hour 12-1 pm
Week of June 13:
Scholar Registration Opens
Mid/Late June:
Youth Pre-summer Surveys
July 5-Aug 12:
Program Duration
Mid Aug – Early Sept:
Nonprofit Partner Org Surveys & Youth End of Summer Surveys
2022 MLK Partners
Artists For Humanity Inc
Bikes Not Bombs, Inc.
Boch Center
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
Boston Partners in Education
Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras Inc
Boys and Girls Club - Dorchester
Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston – Mattapan Teen Center
Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston – Yawkey Club of Roxbury
Calculus Project Inc
Camp Harbor View Foundation
Casa Myrna
Catholic Charities - St. Peters Teen Center
Center for Community Health Education, Research & Service
The Center For Teen Empowerment Inc
Courageous Sailing Center for Youth Inc
Crossroads for Kids
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Future Chefs
Foundation For Boston Centers For Youth & Families Inc
Freedom House Inc
Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership Corporation
Hyde Square Task Force
Inquilinos Boricuas En Accion
Leap Self-Defense Inc
Level Ground Mixed Martial Arts Inc
Madison Park Development Corporation
Massachusetts Coalition For Occupational Safety & Health Inc
Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition
Maverick Landing Community Services (MLCS)
Mothers for Justice and Equality
Contact us
John Hancock Freedom 529 is an education savings plan offered by the Education Trust of Alaska, managed by T. Rowe Price, and distributed by John Hancock Distributors LLC through other broker-dealers that have a selling agreement with John Hancock Distributors LLC. John Hancock Distributors LLC is a member of FINRA and is listed with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). © 2021 John Hancock. All rights reserved. Information included in this material is believed to be accurate as of the printing date.John Hancock Freedom 529
P.O. Box 17603 ■ Baltimore, MD 21297-1603 ■ 866-222-7498 ■ jhinvestments.com/529
529 PLANS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED, MAY LOSE VALUE, AND ARE NOT BANK OR STATE GUARANTEED.