The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle Brunch Celebrates Donors & Scholars

press release: 1/22/2017

The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle held its seventh annual brunch on Sunday, January 8, celebrating named endowed fund donors and honorees and scholarship recipients. 2016 was The Scholarship Fund’s 50th year and its best fundraising year to date - over 1000 donors contributed more than $325,000. Several new endowed scholarship funds honoring friends or family members or memorializing loved ones, were established, and so 70 donors, scholarship recipients and board members gathered at Concord’s Trinity Episcopal Church to mark the occasion and to celebrate.

Sherry Dee Mobley spoke on behalf of their family on creating two new scholarship funds to honor their parents Charles W. and Nancy I. Dee and long-time Concord educators Joan M. Dee and Norman E. Dee. “We wanted to memorialize these wonderful people and couldn’t think of a better way than The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the student recipients was Ben Friedman, a 2016 graduate of CCHS, now a freshman at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “It’s no secret that college is getting more expensive by the year,” Ben said. “I hope the faith you’ve place in me will be well-founded. I speak for all of the student recipients in saying that The Scholarship Fund has been an important help to me in affording an education.” Benjamin is a biology major who plans to study sports medicine and orthopaedics.  

With college education costs rising, there is a surprising number of our community’s high school seniors and in-college students who lack the funds to pursue post-secondary education. Estimates suggest at least $1 million of unmet need annually among Concord and Carlisle college students. The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle is the largest source of scholarships offered to students in the community who need help in order to pursue their dreams. Founded in 1966, The Scholarship Fund has provided approximately $3 million in need based scholarships to over 1400 Concord and Carlisle students.

In 2016, The Scholarship Fund trustees awarded $201,470 to 71 high school students. Affiliated organizations added $70,000, bringing the total awarded to over $270,000 benefiting 82 students.

With much left to do in order to narrow the gap, The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle is gearing up for its annual Phonation on Sunday, March 12 and  Monday, March 13. Along with The Scholarship Fund’s trustees, over 100 Concord-Carlisle High School students from the National Honor Society will gather to raise gifts from Concord and Carlisle townspeople.