Individuals enrolled currently or planning to enroll at Clark State Community College for the 2015-16 academic year are now able to apply for scholarship awards.
The majority of these scholarship dollars come from donors in the community who give every year to help Clark State students realize their dreams of earning a college education. Some of the donors have ties to the college, but many simply see the value in what Clark State is doing and want to help in any way they can. Clark State’s Vice President of Advancement Kristin Culp adds, “Our scholarship donors know that helping someone go to college can be life-changing.” Last year, approximately 189 individual scholarships totaling $176,000 were awarded.
Caleb Roberts is currently working towards his Associate of Science degree in order to become a physician assistant. He received the Dr. Warren G. Elliott Scholarship from the Clark State Foundation for the spring semester. In his thank you letter, he explained what receiving the scholarship meant to him: “As a father of two, the pressure of returning to school and still working to support my family is intense,” he said. “The money that I have been awarded will take a great load off my mind as I continue to pursue my dream of becoming a physician assistant.”
“The Clark State Foundation's goal is to create hope and fulfill dreams of better lives. Education is a gateway to opportunities for better jobs, a more tolerant citizenry and productive community,” said Mark Elliott, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Clark State Foundation.
Cassandra Kirkpatrick Henby is a Registered Nursing major who will graduate this spring. She plans to continue her education and enter a BSN program. Henby received a Springfield Foundation Nursing Scholarship for the 2015 Spring Semester. “My greatest motivation for returning to school after all these years is my children,” she wrote in a letter thanking the Foundation. “I would like to impress upon them the significance of a college education. This award means a lot to me, not only financially, but emotionally as well, as it has deepened my belief in myself.”
Sometimes it can be difficult for a scholarship recipient to grasp why someone they don't know, and may never meet, is willing to help them. “People become donors for a wide variety of reasons, some to honor a loved one, some because someone helped them, others because they want to share their success. The whys are endless, but regardless of the particular reason, as a group, donors want to help create hope and turn dreams into reality. Our mission is to help make that goal a reality,” said Mark Elliott, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Clark State Foundation.
Applications are due in the Clark State Foundation Office by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 27. Students will be notified by mail in May. Applications are available by calling (937) 328-6009 or online at: http://www.clarkstate.edu/media/1177/schapp.pdf