FOUNDATION NEWS
Allegany County: A Community that Gives Back
BY MIA CROSS M'03
Allegany County is a community to which you would hope to belong. The type where everyone just looks out for one another. And Frostburg State University and its students have been the beneficiaries of this generous community for many years.
It is not just alumni who want to support FSU. The number of community scholarships that have been established to help further the education of Frostburg students continues to grow. To date, there are a total of 30 community-related scholarships available at FSU.
“It’s easy for any community group to support a scholarship,” said Lynn Ketterman, FSU director of development. “With a minimum commitment of three years (at a minimum of $500 a year), a community group can provide an FSU scholarship annually for as long as they continue to fund it.”
According to Ketterman, to create a legacy in perpetuity, an organization can establish an endowment. “These long-term investments pay for themselves as funds established more than 15 years ago are likely to have exceeded the amount of their original value in total annual awards,” said Ketterman. “These endowments are building the future for FSU and carry a legacy for the community organization that established it.”
One of FSU’s oldest community scholarships was created by the Garden Club of Cumberland in 1998 for students majoring in environmental science, earth sciences, biology, wildlife and fisheries or sustainable construction management. To date, the club has provided 51 scholarships totaling $31,200.
“Our club’s motto revolves around civic beautification and supporting conservancy,” said Donna Gates, a member and past president of the Garden Club.
“So, providing this scholarship helps others accomplish these goals. We are so happy to be able to help these students, and it is very rewarding to see this money go back into the community. We are rewarded when we can provide civic beautification, but helping someone further their education and helping the environment at the same time is the most rewarding part.”
Another community-based scholarship supporting FSU students is the Asian American Cultural Society of Cumberland (AACSC), which was organized in 2000 to help raise money for the local community and to support cultural events and activities.
After several years of giving charitable donations to public schools, the library system, the food bank and the animal shelter, the club decided to establish two scholarships at FSU – one specifically for students majoring in a STEM field and the other for students in the nursing or physician assistant programs.
“Scholarships are very important,” said Dr. Laxman Hegde, a member of AACSC and retired FSU math professor. “I get letters from the students who have received them, and however small, these students show immense gratitude.”
Since AACSC does not fundraise, scholarships are supported by membership fees and other donations.
“AACSC believes in giving. The power of money is not in making it, but in giving it,” Hegde said.
The LaVale Lions organization established a scholarship fund at FSU in 2016, and since then has assisted 12 students, providing a total of $15,520 in scholarships.
“FSU began to send student volunteers to help us with our chicken barbeques, and because of that support for our fundraiser, our scholarship committee decided to implement a scholarship at Frostburg to be able to give something back,” said Mark Kyle, the scholarship chair of the LaVale Lions Club. “It truly is a partnership.”
Presently, the club commits to two $1,000 scholarships per year for eligible FSU students. “It really is our desire to have a hand in educating tomorrow’s leaders,” said Kyle. “One of our club’s mottos is ‘We Serve,’ and we really do try to live that.”
For more information on how to support any of FSU’s pass-through or scholarship endowments with additional gifts, visit wuu4ao.aprender-a-bailar.com/makeagift or to establish a new scholarship, contact Lynn Ketterman at lketterman@aprender-a-bailar.com or call 301-687-4090.