Photo courtesy of Shades Valley Rotary Club
Shades Valley Rotary Club Educational Foundation has awarded eight $10,000 scholarships to students from local high schools.
The Shades Valley Rotary Club Educational Foundation has awarded eight $10,000 scholarships to outstanding students from Mountain Brook and surrounding area high schools, bringing the Foundation’s total lifetime giving to more than $1.2 million.
Founded in 1971, the Foundation was the vision of Rotarian Dan J. McKiever, who partnered with Arthur L. Walker and Elton B. Stephens to establish an enduring legacy of educational support. The Foundation was formally incorporated by current Rotarian and attorney Thomas A. Ritchie and remains a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization governed by a 19-member Board of Directors. The Foundation’s financial assets are managed by a dedicated Investment Committee whose conservative stewardship ensures that the Foundation’s corpus remains safe, secure, and productive. Each December, the committee reports to the Board the projected income available for scholarship distribution in the coming year.
Scholarships are open to graduating seniors from Homewood High School, Shades Valley High School, Mountain Brook High School and John Carroll Catholic High School. The rigorous application process includes submission of academic transcripts, financial documentation, a personal essay, a resume and an in-person interview with Shades Valley Rotarians. Recipients are selected based on academic performance, leadership, financial need and interview excellence.
This year’s eight awardees represent the excellence and promise the Foundation was created to uplift:
- Elizabeth Cummings – Mountain Brook High School, attending The University of Mississippi
- Desmond Coleman – Shades Valley High School, attending The University of Alabama
- Hudson Winslett – Homewood High School, attending The University of Alabama
- Sarah Chavar – Homewood High School, attending The University of Alabama
- Madeline Alford – Homewood High School, attending The University of Mississippi
- Ashleigh Davidson – Homewood High School, attending The University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Emma Kate Berthiaume – Homewood High School, attending Bates College, Lewiston, Maine
- Josephine West – Homewood High School, attending The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The Foundation’s impact is rooted in decades of generosity and service. In its first 20 years, the Foundation awarded 221 scholarships, beginning with a $750 award in 1971. By 1991, that amount had doubled to $1,500 per student. From 1991 to 2003, the Foundation awarded another 144 scholarships, with values ranging from $1,500 to $3,100. Over the last two decades alone, the Foundation has reviewed more than 557 applications and granted scholarships to 226 students - all from local “Over the Mountain” high schools.
