Month: March 2019

Westbrook Foundation Awards $145,950 in Scholarships to Town’s Students

Posted on March 27, 2019 by - News

Pictured, from left to right: Westbrook Foundation Co-Chairs Brian O’Connor and Constance Vogell; award winners Olivia Fabrizi, Alyssa Esposito, Samantha Cates, Amanda Wilderman, Christine Banks, Tirzah Blomquist, Natalie Ranelli, Halle Barron, and Nikol Jarra; and Westbrook Foundation Scholarship Chair Lawrence Lariviere.

The Westbrook Foundation has awarded $145,950 in scholarships to members of the Westbrook High School Class of 2018 and to other residents of the town pursuing post-secondary education. The scholarships will support the students as they enter the next stage of their lives at colleges, universities, and trade schools across the country. This is the largest outlay of funds the Foundation has awarded since its inception in 1984.

Among the more than two dozen scholarships awarded were three in the amount of $10,000 and one in the amount of $15,000. The Foundation made the decision this year to substantially increase the value of these scholarships in response to escalating tuition at many colleges and universities.

“We’re thrilled to be able to provide this level of financial assistance to Westbrook students and their families, particularly in light of sky-rocketing higher education costs,” said Foundation Co-Chair Constance Vogell.

Co-Chair Brian O’Connor added, “The Foundation’s original benefactor, Barbara Spencer, was a career educator, and I’m certain she would be proud to know that we are honoring her vision to ensure Westbrook students realize their educational goals.”

“We had a great pool of applicants for our scholarships this year and we know they’ll achieve success in many different fields,” said Scholarship Committee Chair Lawrence Lariviere. “It’s a privilege to be able to recognize them in this way as they go off to pursue their dreams.”

The following members of the WHS Class of 2018 received the Foundation’s most competitive scholarships:

Tirzah Blomquist: Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship Spirit of Westbrook Award ($15,000) and Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship ($6,000)

Christine Banks: Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship Spirit of Westbrook Award ($10,000) and Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship ($6,000)

Amanda Wilderman: Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship Spirit of Westbrook Award ($10,000) and Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship for Leadership ($3,000)

Samantha Cates: Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship Spirit of Westbrook Award ($10,000) and Elliot A. Spencer Memorial Scholarship ($5,000)

Halle Barron: Henry Ortner Memorial Scholarship ($7,000)

Damarys Nikol Jara: Henry Ortner Memorial Scholarship ($7,000)

Olivia Fabrizi: Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship ($6,000)

Alyssa Esposito: Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship for Good Citizenship ($3,000)

Members of the WHS Class of 2018 also received the following scholarships totaling $57,450:

Calderari-Hoxsie-Schubert-Steinson Veterans Memorial Scholarship: Lauren Wright

Dorothy Christopher Hoyt Scholarship: Courtney Parrish

Manstan/Nolf Memorial Industrial Arts Scholarship: Niall Ashburner

Herbert A. Muller, Jr. Memorial Scholarship: Ethan Hamm

Ellen S. Murphy Scholarship: Isabella Lima

Raymond L. Wilson Scholarship: Courtney Parrish

Westbrook Grange #123 Scholarship: Olivia Fabrizi

Pat Mazeau & Myrtie Gareau Scholarship: Samantha Cates

Brandon E. Norman Memorial Scholarship: Justin Hellman

Dan Nuhn Memorial Scholarship: Charlotte Barton

Marie Mazeau Memorial Scholarship: Roger Silva

Shoreline Amateur Radio Club Scholarship: Maxwell Lyman

Joanne Marino-Murray Scholarship: Meredith Farrell

Eileen M. Daily Scholarship: Kendra Mansey

Tom ODell Scholarship: Olivia Fabrizi

Nicholas P. Tragakes Scholarship: Olivia Fabrizi

Barbara Spencer Memorial Scholarship Special Awards: Niall Ashburner, Charlotte Barton, Gabrielle Bibisi, Madison Bratz, James Cook, Julie Dias, Vincent Dyer, Danyelle Engels, Meredith Farrell, Christine Gallagher, Ethan Hamm, Jack Hayes, Skyler Jacobs, Victoria Koplas, Isabella Lima, Maxwell Lyman, Kendra Mansey, Andrew Naccarato, Courtney Parrish, Olivia Pohorylo, Natalie Ranelli, Ryan Saputo, Maclean Sarr, Roger Silva, Juliet Tompkins, Emily Vallee, Lauren Wright, and Kelsey Xenelis

The following post-high school Westbrook residents received Messerschmidt Scholarships to support their pursuit of secondary education: Jared A. Collins, Dylan Engels, Madeline Farrell, Matthew Gallagher, and Kevin Morrisey

Foundation to Award Unprecedented $146,000 in Scholarships in 2018

Posted on March 27, 2019 by - News

Jacob Fernandes ’13 accepts the inaugural Joanne Marino-Murray Scholarship during Westbrook High School’s graduation ceremony in June 2013.

In a move that advances its mission to support Westbrook’s young people in the formative stage of their lives following high school graduation—and in response to the skyrocketing costs of higher education—the Westbrook Foundation will award an unprecedented $146,000 in scholarships to members of the Class of 2018 this spring.

The scholarships, which number nearly two dozen, will assist Westbrook residents of all socioeconomic backgrounds as they begin their post-secondary education at two- and four-year colleges, universities, and trade schools.

“The cost of higher education has grown astronomically over the past decade, and that trend only promises to continue,” said Foundation Co-Chair Connie Vogell. “It made perfect sense to us to increase the amounts of several of the scholarships we award to help ease the financial burden on Westbrook families sending their children into this all-important next phase of their lives.”

Board members kept the intentions of Barbara Spencer, the Foundation’s founding benefactor, in the forefront of their minds when making this decision.

“Barbara Spencer was a career educator who deeply valued higher education, and I know she would have been thrilled to support this effort,” said Foundation Co-Chair Brian O’Connor.

Several scholarships bear Spencer’s name, and they are among the many whose amounts have been substantially increased this year.

“Westbrook is one of the smallest towns in the state, with one of the smallest public school systems. It is extraordinary that we are able to offer opportunities of this magnitude to our students, thanks especially to the vision and planning of Barbara Spencer in 1984,” said Lawrence Lariviere, chair of the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee.

An-Ming Truxes, a member of the Scholarship Committee, said that the Barbara Spencer Scholarships will become prestigious awards for which Westbrook’s top students will compete each year—perhaps with their eye on the prizes as early as middle school.

Said Truxes, “These scholarships will not only motivate our brightest and most ambitious young people while they are in high school, but they will also follow them as they lay the foundation for what will no doubt be exceptional careers and adult lives.”

There Are High Hopes for this Grant

Posted on March 27, 2019 by - News

Shown here, seasoned therapy horse Taylor, takes participants on an afternoon trail ride, with the help of a volunteers. Rides like this one foster self esteem and rider accomplishment, while the horse’s movement helps mitigate sensory integration issues.

Old Lyme, CT With the gift of a $5,000 grant from the Westbrook Foundation, High Hopes Therapeutic Riding facility will be fulfilling the high hopes of several Westbrook residents impacted with conditions ranging from autism, stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and sensory neurological disorders, who benefit from the facilities therapeutic program.

“This gift from the Westbrook Foundation will be used to provide support for our Westbrook residents to participate in High Hopes programs throughout the year,” explained Kitty Stalsburg, Executive Director of High Hopes. “These funds will directly help us to continue to provide an affordable, quality service to individuals with special needs.

According to Stalsburg, “Last year High Hopes provided over 8,000 Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy sessions for over 1700 people. We are truly grateful for this important support from the Westbrook Foundation.”

Chairman of the Westbrook Foundation, Jim Crawford explains “The Foundation Board is pleased to continue the important work that supports exciting initiatives in our community. Board members are privileged to be the temporary stewards of this remarkable gift and happy to provide grant monies to such deserving programs such as High Hopes Therapeutic Riding.”

Spring grant applications for the Westbrook Foundation are due April 1, 2014. For more information go to Westbrook Foundation Grants.