What do you do when a global pandemic cancels your annual scholarship celebration? Bring the celebration to the students.
Over the weekend of July 24, 20 volunteers delivered the party to over 35 scholarship recipients.
“In these uncertain times, it was important to us that we still celebrated the great accomplishments of our seniors,” said Rebecca Roberts, event coordinator for the foundation’s annual scholarship celebration. “They worked so hard to finish school and their accomplishments in school, athletics and in the community to get these scholarships, they deserved to be celebrated. So we pivoted.”
Students and their families were encouraged to gather (safely) to celebrate the graduates as volunteers drove up cheering. They presented these students with a yard sign, balloons and a bag of goodies to celebrate their accomplishments. Being able to provide these students with a chance to celebrate all their success in the face of uncertainty has been a bright light for many.
“It was super cool that you all found a way for us to celebrate in these crazy times, thank you so much!” said Fay Sasser recipient Ava Damas.
Executive Director Lisa Bendt, Board co-chair Scott Dougherty and past recipients Fernanda Rodriguez and Javondre Cole shared a video with scholarship recipients in place of the typical ceremony. Their comments bring home that these scholarships are a community effort – from the work the students put in, the volunteers who read the applications, the donors who make it possible to give out over 65 scholarships a year, to the fans that support all of these groups every day – all allow us to make this a reality.
Check out our scholarship posts throughout the year to learn more about these incredible individuals. Or learn more about our scholarship programs here.