Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Announces $140,000 Awarded in Scholarships to 73 Students from Berkshire County
July 18 , 2008
GREAT BARRINGTON, MA – Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation today announced that 20 of its scholarship funds distributed a record total of $125,000 to 66 students from Berkshire County.
“The funds reflect the wonderfully diverse charitable visions of the donors that established them,” said Maeve O’Dea, program director at Berkshire Taconic. “Some encourage certain career choices, others focus on supporting the education prospects of students from particular towns or schools, while others help their employees children, or give young people access to extraordinary learning experiences outside the classroom.”
Two new funds awarded their first scholarships this year. The William J. Newton Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for Berkshire County residents pursuing studies in trade and industrial fields at a college, technical, vocational or trade school, awarded its first grant to Kyle Wilson of Housatonic. The West Stockbridge Grange Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to graduating seniors from Great Barrington, Richmond, West Stockbridge or Stockbridge, who intend to pursue careers that will benefit their communities. This year the fund awarded its first scholarship to Shivani Patel of Great Barrington, who will attend UMass Boston in the fall.
Seventeen other funds awarded scholarships to Berkshire County residents in 2008:
The Charles and Elinore Agar Fund awards annual scholarships to graduating seniors of Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, MA who have an interest in pursuing science, engineering, history or creative writing. This year, Rosie Taylor of West Stockbridge received a scholarship toward her tuition at Mt. Holyoke College.
The John D. Barrett Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to graduates of Lenox MA Memorial High School seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in teaching. This year’s award went to Laurie Egan, who will attend Harvey Mudd college in the fall.
The William Stanley Scholarship Fund named Peter Choi, Lee, the 2008 Stanley Scholar; he will receive $3,000 a year for up to four years toward his tuition at Brown University. The fund also made grants to previous Stanley Scholars Jared Reed, Pittsfield; Rebecca Clemons, Cheshire and Alexander Crawford, Sheffield. Recipients of one-time awards were Abigail Reardon, Ashley Falls; Thomas Buchte, Sheffield; and Justin Burdick, North Adtams.
Veronica Horowitz of Great Barrington received a scholarship from the Caligari Family Scholarship Fund, which supports Monument Mountain Regional High School seniors who plan to study art or design after graduation. Ms. Horowitz will attend Mass College of Art in the fall.
Twelve students received scholarships from the Honorable James P. Dohoney Scholarship Fund, which supports residents of south Berkshire County: Alicia Campbell, Stockbridge, Elms College; Sara Campetti, Stockbridge, University of New Hampshire; Matt Kotleski, West Stockbridge, UMass Amherst; Daniel Passetto, Housatonic, Bridgewater State College; Abigail Hanley, West Stockbridge; Riley Baldwin, West Stockbridge, Boston College; Alexandra Crawford, Sheffield, Colgate University; Elaina Strampach, Southfield, Roger Williams University; Erin Sheehan, Lenox Dale, Farleigh Dickinson University; Kaitlan Ahrens, Lenox, Carnegie Mellon University; Laura Keenan, Lee, University of Vermont; and William Winn, Lee, UMass Amherst.
The Alice and Richard Henriquez & Youth World Awareness Program Funds provide support for young people to engage in community service abroad. This year’s recipients included Berkshire residents Mary Ellen Beattie, Clarksburg, for her participation in the Rural Literacy Project in Guatemala, and Bianca Gigli, West Stockbridge, who spent a semester in Chile through the American Field Service program.
The Housatonic School Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to graduates of the Housatonic School, their descendants and residents of Housatonic. The fund awarded scholarships to Kyle Wilson, Housatonic, Hudson Valley Community College; Justin Leveille, Great Barrington, University of Vermont; Nick Carlson, Great Barrington, Western New England College; Jacqueline Joyner, Housatonic, UMass Amherst; Emily Carlotta, Great Barrington, Johnson Wales University; Dominic Scapin, Housatonic; Lauren Stephenson, Housatonic, University of New England; and Rein Ryan, Great Barrington, University of Vermont.
The Kinderhof Scholarship Fund awarded scholarships to three students who attend the Kinderhof Pre-school in North Egremont.
The Guido Masiero Scholarship was awarded to Riley Baldwin, Great Barrington, to attend Boston College. The fund awards scholarships to students attending Monument Mountain Regional High School.
Levi Bissell, a graduating senior from Pittsfield High School received the Louis N. Massery Scholarship, awarded to Pittsfield High School seniors with proven interests in leadership and service. Mr. Bissell will be attending Harvey Mudd College in the fall.
The McLaughlin Wilson Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to residents of Monterey, made awards to: Annabel Edelman, a sophomore at Hampshire college; Barbara McAlister, a sophomore at Mt. Holyoke College; Dinah Mielke, a sophomore at Endicott College; Emily Shaw, a sophomore at Roger Williams University; Kristen Dempsey, a junior at Eckerd College; Jesse James Johnson, a junior at Northeastern University; Nicole Campanale, a senior at Temple University; Tarsi Dunlop, a senior at Middlebury College; Bridget Mendel, a senior at Northwestern University; Chris Tryon, a senior at Wentworth College; Oona Sellew and Christopher Dinan.
The Quality Printing Scholarship Fund provides annual scholarships to children of employees of the Quality Printing Company. This year Christopher Benton, of Pittsfield, was awarded a scholarship to attend Salem State College, and Casey Lennon and Mikki Rae Lennon, of Pittsfield, were awarded scholarships to attend Framingham State College.
The Rhoda Rubin Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to residents of Berkshire County interested in pursuing a degree in nursing at Berkshire Community College, has awarded a scholarship to Samantha Harrison of Pittsfield, MA.
The Esther Samuels & Mabel Cornman Scholarship Fund awarded a scholarship to Erin Sheehan, Lenoxdale, who will attend Farleigh Dickinson University.
The Daniel and Evelyn Smith Scholarship Fund recognizes a graduating senior of Sutton Memorial High School in Sutton, MA, who has demonstrated substantial service to the community. This year the scholarship was awarded to Michael Thyden to attend American International College.
The Sweetbrook Scholarship Fund helps staff members at Sweet Brook Care Center further their education in the field of health care. This year’s recipients are Cindy Dix, North Adams, who will attend Drexel University and Tawny Parrot, Adams, to attend the University of Massachusetts.
The Williams Academy Scholarship Fund, which provides awards for graduating seniors of Monument Mt. High School awarded scholarships to Stockbridge residents Alicia Campbell, Sara Campetti, and Kasha Cooper.
The Simple Gifts Fund supports the participation of young people in creative summer enrichment programs. This year, scholarships were awarded to: Mary Carter, Lenox, for the Walnut Hill Summer Opera Program; Cheyenne Slocum, Pittsfield, for the Walnut Hill Summer Dance Program; Mindy Lu, Pittsfield for the Institute for Studio Studies; Samantha Swartz, Sandisfield, for Arts Aware; Faren Worthington, Southfield, for the India Expedition; Luke Harrington, North Egremont, for the NY Film Summer Camp. Dwight Kelley, South Lee, for a self-guided bicycle tour; Ruari Egan, Pittsfield, for Exploratory Engineering; and Ty’Shae Gutty, Pittsfield for Summer Camp Becket Chimney Corners YMCA.
To make a contribution to any of these funds or for more information, please contact Berkshire Taconic at 271 Main Street, Suite 3, Great Barrington, MA, 413.528.8039, info@berkshiretaconic.org or visit www.berkshiretaconic.org.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents in the region it serves: Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Founded in 1987, Berkshire Taconic currently has over 500 funds and manages more than $86 million in assets. Each year, it distributes more than $7 million through grants and scholarships, helping thousands of donors achieve their philanthropic goal and hundreds of nonprofits carry on their good work. ###
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