Submitted photo The 2024 Tucker Community Foundation Scholarship recipients include students from Barbour, Grant, Mineral, Preston, Pocahontas, Randolph and Tucker counties in West Virginia, and Garrett County in Maryland.

PARSONS — The Tucker Community Foundation has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to students from seven West Virginia counties and one county in Maryland.

Scholarship awards ranging from $400 to $8,000 — with most in the $1,000 to $2,000 range – from more than 45 different scholarship funds for high school and college students in Barbour, Grant, Mineral, Preston, Pocahontas, Randolph and Tucker counties in West Virginia, and Garrett County in Maryland were presented.

A reception for all the scholarship recipients and their families, the TCF Board of Directors, and Scholarship Fund Advisors was hosted in the Senate Commons on the campus of Davis & Elkins College on June 15.

“We have had the reception at Canaan Valley Resort the last couple of years and it was such a success that we decided to relocate the event from county to county in our coverage area so that all counties have the opportunity to host the reception,” said Michael Moore, CFO of the Foundation.

“The idea behind the event was for the students and their families to be able to meet the TCF Board of Directors, which decides who gets the scholarships, and the Scholarship Fund Advisors that actually had the vision to create the funds and give the money that pays for the scholarships. The event was such a success that next year’s event is already being planned.”

Three current and previous Randolph County high school graduates received scholarships, including

Abigail Arbogast, Eleanor “Ella” Berdine and Laney Fletcher.

“Some of the Tucker Community Foundation’s scholarships are designated for graduates of a particular high school or for a particular college while others are based on activities or intended college majors,” Moore said. “Just because a student does not qualify for one scholarship does not mean they would not qualify for another. We review all of the scholarship applicants and determine the student’s eligibility for each different scholarship fund.”

The Foundation presented four new scholarships this year for the first time.

The John & Beulah “Bob” Bartlett Scholarship is presented to a Randolph or Tucker County student attending college.

The DeVilder Family Scholarship is awarded to a Tucker County High School graduate who will be attending a West Virginia college and majoring in Engineering, a STEM field, Pre-Law, Business or Agricultural/Veterinary related fields.

The Kelley Family Scholarship is presented to a Philip Barbour High School graduate with a GPA of 3.0 or above and planning to pursue a four-year degree in Engineering, Education or Dental Hygiene.

The Myers Family Scholarship is awarded to a Tucker or Preston County student, preferably attending Potomac State College, going into the Mental Health and Addiction Studies program.

This year’s reception began with social time, including drinks and appetizers. The students then played a game giving them a chance to win money.

“We received feedback from last year’s recipients on ways to improve the event, so this year the Foundation also did drawings for 10 very nice prizes throughout the day, plus a grand prize of an Apple MacBook computer,” Moore said. “All the students received a gift bag from the Foundation with their scholarship check. A photographer was present to take photos of the students, families and the Fund advisors.”

High school seniors, college students, students attending technical schools, home schooled students and other non-traditional students, such as adults returning to school, are encouraged to apply for a Tucker Community Foundation scholarship regardless of their field of study. TCF will be accepting scholarship applications again in January and February of 2025.

The Tucker Community Foundation manages more than 140 endowed funds providing annual scholarships and grants to nonprofits and charitable causes throughout the eight-county service area. Inspired by the flood of 1985, the mission of the Foundation is to create opportunities for local communities.

For more information about scholarships, contact the Tucker Community Foundation at 304-478-2930 or visit www.tuckerfoundation.net.