Greater Pike awards over $54K in scholarship aid

The Greater Pike Community Foundation has awarded 13 area students with scholarships totaling $54,208, including recurring awards to three past recipients who are continuing their college studies. The awards, which go to seniors from Delaware Valley, Wallenpaupack, and Kittatinny high schools, come from a variety of scholarship funds administered by Greater Pike.

“We are grateful to our generous donors, whose support will make a positive difference in the future lives of our scholarship recipients,” said Ann Morey, chair of Greater Pike’s Scholarship Committee. “This year we had an exceptional group of college-going applicants to seven of our scholarship funds.”

Morey encouraged more individuals to consider opening scholarship funds at Greater Pike, to afford “a greater number of worthy students this same opportunity.”

The 2024 recipients of the Ann Intili Morey Art Scholarship are Michaela Velez and Youngeun Choi, both from Delaware Valley High School, and Sydney Sura, a senior at Wallenpaupack Area High School. This scholarship is earmarked for students who plan to pursue a degree in the field of art or related careers. Continuing scholarship assistance has been awarded to past recipients Maddy Mallon and Ava Nienstadt for their ongoing studies.

Choi was also awarded an Amanda Nicole Thoenig Memorial Scholarship, along with Harmony Butkovich, of Kittatinny Regional High School. The Thoenig award goes to students pursuing degrees in the visual arts.

This year’s Art Ridley Spirit of Kindness Memorial Scholarship, intended for a Delaware Valley High School student who embodies a spirit of giving in their community, was awarded to Hailey Ryan.

The Kyle James Pascoe Memorial Scholarship fund honored three Delaware Valley students with a history of community involvement and a spirit of giving who have demonstrated excellence in football, track and/or academics. They are Andrew Williams, Tyler Bird, and Kyle Chabak.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce named Delaware Valley’s Thomas Parker and Wallenpaupack’s Sura as this year’s winners of its Gouse-Krawitz Scholarship for exceptional local volunteerism and community involvement.

Delaware Valley’s Cassandra Joyce won the Sydney Fluck “Syd’s Kids” Scholarship, established by the Fluck and Luhrs families to assist one Pike County high school senior with college tuition costs.

Finally, this year’s Reggie Cheong-Leen & Peter Spielhagen Scholarship went to Samantha Huerta. This grant offers multiyear support for the higher-education costs of graduating Delaware Valley High School seniors who are first-generation children of immigrants. Yoshikatsu Sumitomo, an engineering student who was the first Leen-Spielhagen winner in 2021, has been granted a recurring award as he continues his studies.

Online donations to these scholarship funds can be made at greaterpike.org/scholarships.

For more information about opening a fund or contributing to an existing fund, contact Rick Little at 570-832-4686, ricklittle@greaterpike.org or visit greaterpike.org.