The Scholarship Foundation broke yet another record this year, presenting 90 scholarships totaling $575,000 to 42 scholars at its 50th Anniversary Awards Ceremony, held last Tuesday evening at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center. The scholarship class of 2015 will attend 24 colleges and universities in 10 states and Canada.
Since 1965, the organization has made a great many dreams come true; granting more than $9.7 million in need-based scholarships to 2,760 deserving students.
Board Chairwoman Joan Cook noted that while the scholarship amount was noteworthy, the 2014-15 year was bittersweet with the passing of the organization’s founder, Dan. K. Richardson in December. A new Danforth Kidd and Marjorie Hopwood Richardson Memorial Scholarship was established through memorial contributions in his honor and that of wife Marge, who passed away in 2008.
In April, the Scholarship Foundation hosted a successful fundraising event with guest speaker Dr. Ben Carson that raised more than $100,000, enabling the presentation of more four-year scholarships than in the past. Scholarships currently range from $2,000 to $20,000.
“We would love to be able to give all four-year scholarships,” said Cook. “We would have to grow our endowment significantly in order to accomplish that goal, but that is the objective.”
This year’s Alumnus Address was presented by Kevin Brennan, a partner in the St. Petersburg, FL law firm of Meros, Smith, Lazzara, Brennan & Olney, P.A.
A Richardson Scholar, Brennan graduated from Sebastian River High School in 2000 and went on to receive a BA from Florida State and JD/MBA from Stetson College of Law, graduating magna cum laude from both universities. Brennan chairs the Sixth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission and serves as a Guardian ad Litem.
Brennan offered words of encouragement, and noted that frequently it is not until graduates begin to make their own way in the world that they truly appreciate the sacrifices others made on their behalf so that they could attend college.
He related the financial difficulties of his early childhood; his family requiring state aid and welfare after his parents divorced and his hard-working mother developed an aggressive form of cancer. His mother passed away a year after Brennan received his $20,000 scholarship, knowing that he would be fine.
Brennan said he still remembers one of the committee members who pulled him aside after the scholarship interview process and said, “I expect to hear great things from you in the future – that you did great things and accomplished great things and you helped others when you could.”
Saying it was one of the first times someone successful had expressed their confidence in him, he added, “I still take that gentleman’s words with me to this day.”
He impressed upon students the importance of doing their best in school and taking advantage of every opportunity available to them.
“There are going to be people who have advantages that you don’t have. Our advantage is that we can overcome adversity and survive in life. That’s not something that anyone can take away from you. Remember where you came from, remember what you did, and you’ll continue to make the kind of achievements that you have so far.”
Paraphrasing a quote from the movie, “The Imitation Game,” Brennan said, “Sometimes it’s the people who no one expects anything of who do the unimaginable. So I encourage you to do the unimaginable.”
