The gift of a scholarship

Last week our family gave a scholarship at our local high school in memory of my cousin Dawn. This is the school that she attended and so have several generations of our family. We didn't have a lot of money to give and the majority of the donations collected when she died last year were put into college funds for her own four young children. We still had $300.00 each for a boy and a girl that will be graduating this month. At first it was hard to narrow down the candidates but the guidance department helped us find the perfect pair. Our criteria was a little different than most because we weren't worried about the highest grades or even if the students would be going on to college. We wanted kids who may not always get recognized but who deserve it. Kids who embody Dawn's same spirit and her generous and happy nature. Our recipients were terrific choices and were very grateful. We've already received touching thank you notes. I'm so glad we did it and we plan to give more next year.

If you're looking for a way to help others, consider a scholarship. It's a great way to memorialize a loved one and you are investing in the future of a young adult. It's also a wonderful feeling to do something nice for other people. Maybe someday they will pass it on too.