FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Study Connection will celebrate 38 years of connecting Fort Wayne Community Schools students with local mentors during its annual Celebration and Recognition Breakfast Friday.

The breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Pearl Street Arts Center in downtown Fort Wayne. The event will recognize tutors, students and supporters for their work during the past school year.

Gian Paul Gonzalez will serve as the featured speaker. Gonzalez is known for his “All In” message that helped inspire the New York Giants during their Super Bowl run. He is also the founder and executive director of Hope + Future, an organization that works with young people in inner-city schools and juvenile detention centers, and serves as a chaplain for the Giants.

Several local students, volunteers and organizations will also be recognized during the breakfast.

Trinity English Lutheran Church will be named Team of the Year, while Northcrest Elementary student Brandon Jafeth Gonzalez-Castillo will receive the Don Wolf Outstanding Student of the Year Award.

Sayler Hayes, a Fort Wayne Zoo tutor who works with a Franke Park Elementary School student, will receive the Mike McClelland Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award. Wade Holbrook will receive the Connie Dickey Outstanding Colleague of the Year Award.

Study Connection was founded in 1989 by Don Wolf, retired CEO and president emeritus of Do it Best Corp. The program pairs volunteers one-on-one with FWCS students who need additional academic assistance.

Students and volunteers meet for an hour each week after school throughout the school year. In addition to academic support, the program aims to connect students with community mentors and expose them to local career opportunities.