MacCurdy Salisbury Educational Foundation held its Annual Reception for this year’s High School Seniors receiving Foundation awards in June at the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, Conn.
At the event, the Foundation distributed $61,400 in grants to 15 graduating seniors from Regional School District 18 (Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.) In addition, four students already in college received an additional $10,900 for a total of $73,300 in grants.
Foundation awards are based on the degree of financial assistance a student requires to meet their college expenses. If a student keeps a satisfactory grade point level they will continue to receive the same award for another three years of their undergraduate studies. For the upcoming 2016 – 2017 school year, the Foundation will give out $270,000 to 79 students from Lyme and Old Lyme who are attending colleges throughout the United States.
The Foundation also presented two $500.00 awards at the reception; the W.E.S. Griswold Valedictorian Award to Maria Boyle of Madison, Conn., who will attend Harvard University, and the Willis Umberger Salutatorian Award to Ryan Harty of Old Lyme, who will attend Carnegie Mellon University. Bill Griswold was President of the foundation from 1965 to 1992 and Willis Umberger was Secretary/Treasurer of the Foundation from 1966 to 1986.
At the reception, Foundation President Rowland Ballek said we are fortunate that our communities support education not only with their votes but with their checkbooks. He said “thanks to community contributions and the good work of our Investment Committee, the Foundation has been able to distribute $2,000,000 to students from Lyme and Old Lyme over the past eight years.”
The MacCurdy Salisbury Educational Foundation, founded in 1893, has a long standing tradition of providing financial support to local students going on to further their education at colleges and universities after their high school years.