# Mayor Gorton to announce 2026 'Be the Change' Scholarship winners  
**Published:** 2026-05-05T17:48:26Z  
**Source:** City of Lexington Mayor's Office (press release, emailed to editor@lexingtonky.news)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/mayor-gorton-to-announce-2026-be-the-change-scholarship-winners

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mayor Linda Gorton will announce the recipients of the 2026 "Be the Change" Scholarship Program on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Government Center Lobby, according to [a statement from the City of Lexington](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/).

[ONE Lexington Director Devine Carama](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/one-lexington/) will join the mayor at the announcement, along with representatives of the [Blue Grass Community Foundation](https://www.bgcf.org/), Galls and Central Bank.

[ONE Lexington, a city initiative dedicated to reducing violence in all neighborhoods, administers the scholarship program](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/one-lexington/change-college-scholarship-competition) in partnership with the civic and corporate partners. [The "Be the Change" scholarship targets students of color pursuing careers in fields related to criminal justice, public safety and gun violence prevention](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/one-lexington-announces-scholarship-winners), with individual awards of up to $10,000 for a single academic year that can be used at Kentucky colleges or universities.

The announcement will be livestreamed at [the City of Lexington's YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/channel/UCClGUg9MGN6KsrKVJqaY5TQ/live).

[ONE Lexington works with the community to create initiatives and programs for youth and young adults that enhance safety and quality of life in neighborhoods experiencing violent crime](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/one-lexington/). [The city has reduced community violence by 60% since 2021, according to the organization's 2025 annual report](https://www.wtvq.com/one-lexington-report-shows-decline-in-youth-gun-violence-city-leaders-say/).

[The "Be the Change" scholarship program is made possible through partnerships among the City, Galls and Central Bank](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/city-announces-change-scholarship-winners). [Blue Grass Community Foundation, founded in 1967, connects charitable individuals, families, businesses, communities and nonprofit organizations with causes they care about to meet community needs](https://www.bgcf.org/about-us/).

## Sources

- [City of Lexington Mayor's Office press release](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/)
- [ONE Lexington scholarship program information](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/one-lexington/change-college-scholarship-competition)
- [Previous 'Be the Change' scholarship announcement (2024)](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/city-announces-change-scholarship-winners)
- [ONE Lexington 2025 annual report on gun violence reduction](https://www.wtvq.com/one-lexington-report-shows-decline-in-youth-gun-violence-city-leaders-say/)
- [Blue Grass Community Foundation information](https://www.bgcf.org/about-us/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) from a press release emailed to editor@lexingtonky.news by City of Lexington Mayor's Office, enriched with 3 web searches.