2014 Annual Report for the Scholarship Committee of Third Haven Friends Meeting
"What help do we provide for the children and adults in our Meeting to pursue the education they seek, whether academic, technical, or vocational? Do we make provision for children in our Meeting to attend a Friends school?"
Faith & Practice, Query 5. Education
Third Haven's Scholarship Fund began seven years ago with the intention of encouraging our young members to attend Friends schools. We also offer some financial support to college students, so that the Meeting continues to demonstrate its care for them during these important years.
This program has been funded by the Meeting and by the Trustees as well as by memorial and other gifts. This year the Meeting has provided $2000. from the operating budget. The Trustees have given $500, but since scholarship is not their mission, this will be the last contribution to the Fund.
Large contributions to the fund were used to create a fund that the Scholarship Committee treats as an endowment, intended to provide a long-term source of income for the scholarship program. This endowment totaled $81,661.00 on September 30, 2014, and is managed by Friends Fiduciary Corporation. For the second year in a row we have used distribution from the managed fund to help pay current scholarship grants. This year the scholarship distribution amounted to $3,250.
We awarded the following grants for the current school year:
$1000. For Nathan Mullen, a junior at Westtown School (paid directly to the school).
$250. Each for the first semester to the following:
Nicola Greene—final semester at Goucher College
Nora Neil—junior at Georgetown University
Brandt Bethke—sophomore at George Washington University
Evan Claggett—sophomore at Coastal Carolina University
Cassidy Thompson—Fashion Institute of Technology
Sam Mullen—sophomore at Drexel University
We plan to repeat the grants to our college students in January for their next semesters where applicable. We anticipate that a few more of our children will be entering college in the Fall—some possibly at Friends schools.
Next year we will probably be adding Lucy Bond to our list of recipients. She will be a senior at Westtown School. Her had not applied for her previously.
The grants we give are very small in relation to the tuition and other expenses incurred for each student. Currently, tuition is $50,000.00 a year at Friend's Schools. Additional financial aid possibilities open up to them if their Meeting contributes. Undergraduate students have many expenses beyond tuition. Our contribution to them is intended to help with these. Looking ahead with cautious optimism, we would like to be able to increase the amounts of our grants—hopefully before too long.
Although the Scholarship Fund is growing, we are dependent on the Meeting and other gifts to fund this important program. This committee is mindful that gifts to the Scholarship Fund from Meeting members and attenders should be made AFTER contributing to the Meeting's Operating Fund. For contributions to the Scholarship Fund : please designate this when you make your donation to Third Haven Friends Meeting, PO Box 2379, Easton, MD.
We look forward to continued support from the Meeting. Investing in our children is vital to Third Haven.
Marsie Hawkinson, clerk, Lorraine Claggett, Benita Cooper, Deb Danser, Doreen Getsinger, Peter Howell, Sumner Parker