The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation (GHACF) recently hosted its annual Scholarship Ice Cream Social, honoring the 2024 scholarship recipients, their families, and the donors who established the scholarship funds.
This year, the GHACF, in collaboration with the Allendale Community Foundation and Coopersville Area Community Foundation, awarded more than $910,000 in scholarships to 234 area students through its competitive scholarship program and funds managed by the foundation.
“The scholarships remind us that even when we leave and find a new home, we still have people here that support us," says Luke Glasgow, a Spring Lake High School graduate and recipient of the Mary E. Wilsberg Scholarship. "Some may be going further away than others, but all of us are entering new communities on some level, which can be scary and difficult. It is quite a comforting feeling to remember the community back home that continues to support us.”
Multiyear packages
The foundation’s commitment to supporting students for two or four years was evident this year, with 26 students receiving the first installment of their multiyear scholarships. Additionally, the overall award packages for scholarships awarded by the foundation increased, with this year’s recipients receiving an average of $2,987.
Scholarships were awarded based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic achievements, field of study, and whether a student is the first in their family to continue their education after high school. Notably, 82% of first-generation student applicants received scholarships this year.
“We are incredibly grateful to our donors for allowing us the ability to provide financial assistance for education to students and families each year,” says Hadley Streng, GHACF president. “The Scholarship Social is our way of honoring both those who established scholarship funds and those who receive them.”
The GHACF 2025 scholarship application will open in early December 2024. For more information, visit
ghacf.org/scholarships.
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