Last Updated on March 14, 2021

33rd Charlestown Scholars’ Program Campaign Begins Today!

Scholars' Program

A total of 39 Scholar candidates have been accepted into the Charlestown Scholarship Program for 2021. This includes 35 traditional scholars and 4 one-year scholars. In order to be considered as a scholar candidate, our student employees must meet the minimum cumulative GPA requirement and will have worked at least 1000 hours at Charlestown by mid-May. You will see our Scholar candidates wearing blue ” Scholar Candidate”  masks as part of their uniform, and posters of the candidates will be coming soon! Please take a moment to congratulate the Scholar candidates as you see them in your dining rooms and throughout campus.

Our scholar program is a wonderful way for residents to support our student employees in their pursuit of higher education. The 2021 class will join 94 currently active scholars in the program. The Scholars’ Committee is very excited to be able to increase the amount that scholars will be receiving towards their higher education from $2,000 per year to $3,000 per year starting in fall of 2021. The ongoing generosity of our residents and the increasingly high cost of college makes this a perfect time to increase the amount offered. Scholars are supported for up to 4 years of their undergraduate education. In order for a student’s school to receive the distribution, awardees must submit their grades and courses each semester to Philanthropy. If the funds are not needed in a semester, the money will be returned to the Fund. Scholarship checks are mailed directly to an educational institution, not to the student.

Scholar candidates and current Scholars still working at Charlestown who have a GPA of 3.0 or above are also eligible and encouraged to apply for special named scholarship awards. There will be more on this topic in the April Sunburst.

The Scholar Campaign will run through April 30, 2021. Our 2021 Scholars’ Campaign goal is to raise $200,000 for the program and to achieve 100% participation among our residents. With everyone’s help – we know this is a realistic goal. This is your chance to make a difference and to help change a young person’s life for the better. Watch for the Scholar Program campaign materials in your cubby this week.

The gift of education can be priceless, so please consider making a donation. In addition to donating through the campaign envelope included in your materials you can also do monthly deductions on your Resident Account, or credit card, check, and/or cash donations to the Philanthropy Office in Cross Creek. Make checks payable to the Scholars’ Fund. Online, you may use the Gift Box Donate icon on MyErickson to contribute to the Scholars’ Fund. Non-residents can log in to MyErickson as a GUEST to donate. You may also share this link: elm.convio.net/CharlestownSCH or use your camera to scan this QR Code:

The Scholars’ Fund is primarily funded by residents. Donations are 100% tax-deductible as allowed by law, and all monies collected are restricted to the Scholars’ Fund. As with our Benevolent Care Fund, some residents find it desirable to request a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) as part of their required minimum distribution (RMD) from their IRA trustee, directly to our Philanthropy Department for the Scholars’ Fund.

Any questions about the program may be directed to our Scholars’ Committee members, who are easily identifiable in our black “Scholar Committee” masks: Norma Goldberg, Roland Gray, Mel Milio, Marie Skane, Ed DeLong, Jackie Graham, Eugenia High, and Mimi O’Donnell. Contact Lisa Zehring in the Philanthropy Office at 410-737-8838 x8397, for details on any aspect of the program.

Thank you for supporting our Scholars!

Charlie Eichenlaub
Scholars’ Committee Chair