Giving the Gift of Education

At 17, she was a teenage runaway, leaving home because her living conditions were intolerable. When available, she slept at the homes of friends, but she was not unfamiliar with living on the street either. Throughout it all Mary (we'll call her "Mary") completed high school, found a job, and took pride in the fact that she never missed a day of work no matter where she slept the night before.

If you were abstractly listening to this scenario, you'd say, "what a sad story, Mary doesn't really have much of a chance of succeeding, the odds are stacked against her." But this determined young woman decided that she wanted to become a nurse. At the age of 25, with the support of her husband, Mary applied to Edison College's Nursing Program and was accepted.

It was at this point that the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Scholarship Committee became aware of Mary.

Each year, the Community Foundation offers a variety of scholarships through endowed funds. The scholarships could be earmarked for students entering specific fields of study, require a specific grade point average or the stipulation could be based on financial need.

The Community Foundation is committed to carrying out the wishes of the donor by matching the intent of the donor with the request of the applicant.

Mary was one of those applicants, applying for a $1,000 nursing scholarship to Edison College. A team of volunteers read and review the applications. The readers, who act as a pre-selection committee, passed the applications to the Scholarship Committee. The committee members re-read the pre-selected applications and interviews were scheduled.

Mary was one of four students competing for a Nursing Scholarship. As I said, she was 25 and had been out of school for some time. On paper, she didn't seem like the most likely candidate. When she walked into the interview everything changed.

Mary didn't dwell on her past. She was positive, described her difficult journey, and when asked why at 25 she wanted to return to school, her answer was poignant, touching and heartbreaking at the same time. "I want to be an example for my children," she said. "They need to know that anything is possible if you're willing to work hard and have the determination to follow through."

A real success story, Mary received an Associates Degree from Edison College, graduating with honors. She went on to the University of South Florida where Mary became president of the Honor Society and received a Bachelors Degree.

This determined mother of two will complete a Masters Degree later this year.

Mary broke the cycle.

This year, nearly 1,000 scholarship applications were received for scholarships ranging from $500 - $20,000. There are 57 endowed scholarship funds, which generated 146 scholarships worth nearly $500,000.

The recipients were honored this week at the annual Scholarship Awards Dinner at the Broadway Palms Dinner Theatre.

When creating an endowed scholarship fund at the Community Foundation, a donor may stipulate the credentials a student must have to qualify. The requirements might be a high grade point average, someone majoring in finance or accounting, a person who lives in a certain county or goes to a certain school - the donor's wishes are followed.

As we have seen through Mary's experience, the gift of an education and the support of the community are farreaching and comprehensive.

Did Mary's first scholarship make a difference? Mary thinks so. When recently asked the question, Mary's response was, "The $1,000 helped, but the overriding affect it had was to build my self esteem. For the first time in my life, I learned that there were people, strangers really, who, in addition to my husband and children thought I was worthy. They had confidence in me, and I knew that I had to succeed to prove them right."

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has been supporting the communities of Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades and Hendry through endowed funds for more than 30 years. With assets of more than $57 million and 314 endowed funds, the community foundation has provided more than $30 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves.

For more information, please call 274-5900, or visit their web site at www.floridacommunity.com.