Los Angeles Student Paints His Way to Win National 365Black Community Choice Youth Award

LOS ANGLES, June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- An East Los Angeles student has painted his way into a $10,000 scholarship. Skyler Grey, nicknamed the Fresh Prince of Street Art, has been chosen as one of two McDonald's^® 365Black^® Community Choice Youth Award Honorees. Nominations for the Youth Award were submitted by the public as a way to recognize extraordinary teens in the community.

Grey has become one of the most popular young artists in the United States. He found his talent through drawing as a form of therapy to deal with the passing of his mother at the age of two. Though he has had no formal training, his work became noticed when attending an aerosol workshop at Self Help Graphics in East Los Angeles. Since then, Grey's work has been exhibited in top galleries across the United States, as well as Switzerland, South Africa, and London.

"Southern California McDonald's joins in celebrating the amazing accomplishments of Los Angeles' own Skyler Grey," said Clay Paschen, III, McDonald's owner/operator and president of the McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California (MOASC). "The 365Black^® program falls in line with the work our local owners do on a regular basis to enhance educational opportunities for students in our local communities."

Aside from his work as an artist, Grey is a mentor for other teenagers and kids at After School All Stars, a charity founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also is a partner with the lifestyle company and innovation studio, Iconic 32. Grey's message to his peers, particularly who come from the inner city, is no matter what situations they face, they can succeed to unimaginable heights through art.

McDonald's 365Black Awards are given annually to salute outstanding individuals who are committed to making positive contributions that strengthen the African-American community. This year's honorees include: civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton; music executive and entrepreneur Kevin Liles; film producer Will Packer; inspirational leader Iyanla Vanzant; former NFL athlete Dhani Jones, and McDonald's Owner/Operator Henry Coaxum. Additionally, Grey will be recognized alongside entrepreneur Gabrielle Jordan Williams as the first-ever McDonald's^® 365Black^® Community Choice Youth Award recipients. McDonald's^® 365Black^® Awards launched in 2003 as an extension of the company's 365Black^® platform. The awards celebrate the pride, heritage and achievements of African-Americans year-round.

Grey will get the opportunity to accept his award in person at the 365Black awards taking place Saturday, July 5, 2014 at the New Orleans Theatre in New Orleans, LA. The awards show kicks off at 10:00 a.m. You can tune in to the 365Black^® Awards broadcast on BET Networks on August 10 at 7 p.m. PDT. The awards ceremony will also air on CENTRIC on August 17 at 8 p.m. PDT. Additionally, fans can follow @McDonalds on Twitter for updates on the awards show and join the conversation using #365BlackAwards.

About McDonald's
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 27 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit http://www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/mcdonalds. To learn more about the 365Black initiative, visit http://www.365Black.com.

About BET Networks:
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET operates in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

The following trademarks used herein are owned by McDonald's Corporation and its affiliates: 365Black, McCafe and McDonald's. ©2014 McDonald's

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SOURCE Southern California McDonald’s