Original Article: Philadelphia Tribune

Several men from Philadelphia were among more than 60 African-American peers to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service on Friday afternoon.

Despite the White House being briefly locked down after reports of a gunman outside the grounds, the members of BMe (Black Male engagement) were still able to receive their awards, according to a spokesperson.

The Philadelphia group included Wayne Rucker, Malcolm Kenyatta, Isaiah Thomas, Sulaiman Rahman, Mont Grown, Bran Sprowal, Otis Bullock, Thomas Butler, Reuben Jones, Samuel Reed, Rashaun Williams and Jeff Jones.

The honor recognizes and celebrates Americans who are having a positive influence as engaged and committed volunteers. The ceremony was to held during a White House briefing hosted by the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, an initiative of President Barack Obama.

According to BMe, volunteers are from some of the country’s most resilient cities. Aside from Philadelphia, the other five cities represented were Baltimore, Detroit, Miami, Pittsburgh and Akron, Ohio.

BMe is a national nonprofit that provides a network of people committed to building caring and prosperous communities for Black men. With headquarters are in Miami, the organization’s motto is “Share, Inspire, Empower.”

The group, comprising family members, coaches, students and businessmen who are known as “BMe Community Leaders,” have each provided their communities with 500 or more hours of service.