FORT RUCKER, Ala. (May 22, 2015) -- As the cost of education increases year after year, one Fort Rucker organization is doing what it can to help turn higher education into a blessing instead of a financial burden.
The Fort Rucker Community Spouses Club held its 2015 Scholarship Awards Ceremony Monday to award $24,300 in scholarships to 22 military family members and civilians in the surrounding communities.
Col. Stuart J. McRae, Fort Rucker garrison commander, attended the ceremony to congratulate the winners on their accomplishment.
"This is a big deal," he said. "Having three kids in college and having priced the cost of college, I know that it's not cheap.
"People can pay beyond $100,000 for an education and can even go up to $200,000, so these scholarships can make a huge difference -- maybe the difference between a student being able to go to school or not," he continued. "This is a significant opportunity for those who have won."
Kacie Fountain, former scholarship recipient and daughter of Maj. Gen. Michael D. Lundy, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general, served as the guest speaker. She encouraged students not to give up on their pursuits and offered words of encouragement.
"You're all starting a great point in your lives, regardless of where you're at," she said. "There are so many opportunities ahead of you and I really encourage you to take advantage of all of them, whether that means studying abroad, applying for an exciting internship or figuring out how to parlay your new education at a new duty station.
"There is a room full of people here who are excited for you and that want to support you," she said, "so when you're in the library or sitting at your desk at 3 a.m. thinking 'this was a bad idea.' That's OK. We're here. We're supporting you. We're excited for you and we are so incredibly proud of you."
The scholarship program is a decades-long tradition, and in the past 10 years alone, the FRCSC has awarded approximately $220,000 in scholarships to deserving students in the Wiregrass community, according to Darcy Lynch, FRCSC president.
She added that the annual FRCSC Hollyday Bazaar is one of the largest contributors to the scholarship program, allowing the organization to donate $17,500 into the program.
"The bazaar is a significant contributor to the scholarship program, and every year it's been a huge success … growing every year," said McRae. "I've watched it over the last four years and have seen it explode. They use this money to pay for these scholarships and then they're joined by a lot of contributors."
Those contributors include companies such as Raytheon, Sikorsky, S3, Edward Jones, Enterprise Dental Associates, Boeing and First Command Educational Foundation, of which without their assistance, "these scholarships would not be possible," said the garrison commander.
Of the 22 scholarships awarded, there were twice as many who applied -- 44 applicants. The process for selection was very competitive and consisted of evaluations of each applicant's academics, community service, work experience, activities and letters of recommendation, said Lynch. Students also had to submit essays, which were reviewed by an anonymous panel of judges.
"These students are the best of the best," said the FRCSC president. "They have the top GPAs, bullet point after bullet point of extracurricular activities and glowing recommendations. They also provided thoughtful answers to our essay questions.
"But these students are so much more than what they put down on their applications," she continued. "They're active members of other schools, churches and communities. They are praised and admired by their peers, and some of them even have a job or two."
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