WOODLAWN — City Year Chicago on Friday announced a new award in honor of Xavier Joy, a former volunteer who was fatally shot in Woodlawn in June.
Joy, a 2014 member of the education service organization, was honored at Friday’s kickoff ceremony for incoming volunteers at Roosevelt University and the award in his honor announced.
“With 230 corps members ready today to dedicate the upcoming school year to serving CPS students, I sense a lot of excitement, drive and motivation,” Rebeca Nieves Huffman, executive director of City Year, said in prepared remarks. “At the same time, I think these corps members must feel a solemn sense of duty. It’s impossible to stand here today and not be reminded of Xavier Joy’s legacy of love, leadership and compassion — values that all our corps members strive to reflect daily.”
Joy was a graduate of Whitney Young High School and played football for Morehouse College. He was fatally shot in what his family said was a robbery in June just blocks from his parents' Woodlawn home.
His father, Ra Joy, was just named as the lieutenant governor running mate for gubernatorial hopeful Chris Kennedy, a Democrat and a son of the late Robert F. Kennedy.
The Joy award will go toward City Year’s Society of Latino and African-American Men and efforts to recruit new volunteers.
The Chicago Association of Realtors was expected to be recognized for its contributions to starting the fund for the award.
