Rotary Club of Flushing Awards 3 Scholarships

Posted by Mike Wallace 
on Jun 12, 2011
 
The Rotary Club of Flushing today announced the recipients of the Gerald and Josephine Knight Memorial Scholarship to Kathryn Stringer, the Richard and Kathy Merrill Scholarship to Meredith Wheatley and the Paul Harris Scholarship to Donna Ellithorpe.  These three recipients are all 2011 graduates of Flushing High School and are among 29 total applicants for the awards.  While they demonstrated academic excellence, their participation and leadership in many school or community organizations exemplified the Rotary motto:  “Service Above Self”. Traditionally, the Rotary Club of Flushing sponsors two yearly awards, however the funds available to distribute have accumulated and it was their decision to increase the number of awards this year, especially due to the exceptional applicant pool. 

The annual scholarship opportunity is open to any high school graduating senior living within the boundaries of the Flushing Community School District.  The Rotary Club of Flushing strives to widely disseminate to graduates the opportunity to apply for this scholarship that emphasizes community leadership and volunteerism on an ongoing basis.  Despite this, the 29 applicants overwhelmingly came from Flushing High School.  They continue to encourage students from any academic environment within the Flushing area apply for the award opportunity.  

This year’s applicant pool were anonymously evaluated by a community and Rotary Club pool of volunteers.  The committee was comprised of: realtor, Mark Calvert, Judge David Goggins, Main Street Treasures owner Tony Abdella, Hyde Assisted Living Owner/Director Dean Bonesteel, and retired Arbitrator esq. Richard Morley-Barron.  All identifying information pertaining to the candidates was removed and seven of the top applicants were  interviewed. Committee Coordinator, Dr. Mike Wallace of Flushing Vision Clinic worked closely with Couneslor Beth Dutkowski to assure all 29 candidates were able to fairly prepare their applications. 

The Rotary Club of Flushing provided all three $1000 scholarships to this year’s recipients through the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. The recipients and their families were recently recognized at a recent Rotary Club of Flushing breakfast meeting at Sorrento’s Restaurant for their hard work and accomplishments.  Dr. Mike Wallace commented that all of the applicants were exceptional and deserving and it is the caliber of the young people in Flushing that makes our community such a wonderful place to live and work. 

The application process met the rigorous standards set forth by the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and was reviewed and certified as consistent with stated goals and objectivity.  It is the goal of next year’s application process to strongly urge all student volunteers and leaders to apply, especially those that might be considering an alternative education path in their future, such as a Trade or Vocational School, or similar certification program. We congratulate this year's recipients and wish them the very best in their academic pursuits.