This month, 190 Northampton students will receive a total of $147,000 from the Northampton Chapter of Dollars for Scholars. This is both the largest number of scholarships and the largest dollar amount in our 47-year history of supporting local students who are continuing their education beyond high school.
This record is a testament to the generosity and forward thinking of our community, past and present.
A number of these awards each year are Legacy Scholarships funded by your neighbors as a remembrance of someone special, people like Kay Sheehan, Patrick Phillips, Madison Ruth Meade Young, Dr. Claire CuttenManwell , Em Samolewicz and many more. These people, through the generosity of their family, friends and acquaintances, established scholarships for Northampton students because they recognized the value of post-secondary education.
On June 22, the Gazette will publish the names of these 190 award recipients. As you read the names, you are sure to recognize your neighbors, perhaps your babysitter or your clerk from the grocery store or the volunteer who worked beside you at the Northampton Survival Center or Manna Community Kitchen. You will see the names of students who persevered through these last many months and kept their eye on their goal of attending college. You’ll recognize, as so many before us have, the importance of being the Community behind the Student.
Richard E. Cooper
Director Northampton Dollars for Scholars