Clara O. Perkins, who has touched the lives of countless young people in countless ways, has been awarded the 2015 Good Samaritan Award.
She received the award at the Jericho Partnership Gala on November 6; those who attended were privileged to hear the testimony of four of Clara’s students, who each spoke about how she impacted their lives. (Watch videos of the testimony on our Facebook page).
Born in Scotland Neck, NC, and raised in Newport News, VA., Clara is the fourth of 11 children. When Clara and her late husband, Julian Perkins Sr., arrived in Danbury many years ago, they became rooted in the community and created a loving home for their three children, family, friends, and, often, strangers who needed assistance.
Clara has served on the Head Start Parent Advisory Board and was a member of the Ebony Club of Danbury, which focused on scholarships to help students continue their education. She also served on the NAACP Youth Membership Committee to engage students in life skills and community development workshops.
Clara was employed at the David & Geck company for 25 years and has been a member of New Hope Baptist Church in Danbury for more than 40 years. At New Hope, she held several leadership positions, including Sunday School Superintendent and chairperson of the Youth and Trustee ministries and the Scholarship Committee. She was a founding member of the annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Tour, which, for more than 20 years, has taken students to Eastern or Midwest regions of the US to tour colleges and universities.
Today, Clara is director of the S.A.Y. Yes! after-school program and parent coordinator of Pathways Danbury Youth Ministries. She has supported and cared for countless boys and girls and their families, believing it is God who enables her. She gives Him all the praise and seeks to follow His guidance as she offers hope, help and love to innumerable lives. Her life verse and favorite scripture is Psalm 121:1-2 – “I life up my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and the earth.”