The principal at Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy’s Lower Mills campus and one of her star pupils will be honored for their service to community during an award ceremony this weekend in Boston’s Seaport district.

Lisa Warshafsky and eighth-grade student Jahzare Haynes will be feted at the Corey C. Griffin Foundation’s annual Winter Ball. The foundation, named for a Scituate man who died in 2014 at age 27, is dedicated to keeping his memory alive by ensuring the health, safety, education, and success of Boston youth. 

Warshafsky, who has led the academy’s Lower Mills campus for 17 years, will receive the foundation’s Outstanding Philanthropy Award.  Haynes, 13, will be one of two recipients of the Youth Courage Award.

Warshafsky has worked closely with the Griffin Foundation for the last decade. She volunteers at their various annual events and helps to lead the foundation’s Back to School Backpack Giveaway in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers. The event is held in Dorchester Park as a back-to-school event each summer. 

“I always really admired the whole Griffin family and the organization living out his legacy in a unique and powerful way,” said Warshafsky. “When I met them, there was this instantaneous connection to one another. As a mom, I can’t even imagine their pain, but they have transformed this love, faith, and energy into thousands of kids here at Saint John Paul’s and across the city.”

Chandra Clark, who leads the foundation, calls Warshafsky a “champion. She volunteers at every single event. She’s always in the community spreading the good news about work we’re doing at the foundation. We’re focused on philanthropy and breaking barriers and building bridges [and] she’s a brand ambassador for us in every sense of connecting us with other like-minded members of the community.”

The foundation works closely with St. John Paul II Catholic Academy in supporting several students under their Corey’s Scholars Program.

“It’s not a one-off relationship,” said Warshafsky. “Our kids know what the legacy means to be a Corey’s Kid and they understand what the mission of the organization is and the impact that it has on our students here.”
Haynes is one student who best embodies Corey’s spirit and legacy, she said.

“Jahzare was nominated because he went through an incredibly challenging year last year, but for months, the school didn’t actually know because he came to school, completed all his class work, remained an honor roll student, and was at school on time,” said Warshafsky. “We started to notice he was a bit more reserved, a bit more quiet, specifically in classes, and wasn’t participating as much. It was shared with his middle school teacher that his family was going through an incredibly challenging time.” 

Said Haynes: “I lost my house, and I was living in a hotel for a while. Then I moved into a little small apartment and now I’m in a home. It was kind of sad because that was basically the home I was in my entire life.”

Though this was a difficult time for the teen and his family, Haynes did not let the adversity define his future. “The award means that I am courageous, and I can do good things,” Haynes told The Reporter. “I want to go to high school and then go to college and then after that I want to be an entrepreneur.”

He joked that he was most excited about the food at next week’s ball at Omni Hotel at the Seaport, a predictable comment from a growing teenage boy.

Warshafsky is looking forward to the event, too, but she says the award isn’t just for her.

“I basically said in summary that I would be honored to accept the award, but I would be accepting it on behalf of the entire Lower Mills School community. Teachers, students, and families – because I couldn’t do the work without my team.”

To purchase tickets or learn more about the Boston Winter Ball visit coreygriffinfoundation.org/initiatives-and-events/boston-winter-ball/