BOARD MEMBER LARRY CRARY, STUDENT LIAISON SARAH WOODS, AND EVANS CRARY JR., A FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER AND REVERED, RETIRED FIRM PARTNER, PARTICIPATED IN THE AWARDS CEREMONY. EVANS CRARY, A TRUSTEE OF THE FRANCES LANGFORD FOUNDATION, ANNOUNCED A $100,000 GRANT TO NINA HAVEN FOR SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE ARTS.
Firm partner Larry Crary helped award Nina Haven Charitable Foundation scholarships to 33 Martin County high school students in May. Crary is a board member of the foundation.
At a ceremony that month, Crary and other board members, including retired partner Evans Crary Jr., officially welcomed the students into the Nina Haven Circle of Scholars. They joined the 1,000 former recipients of Nina Haven scholarships inducted since the fund was established in 1961.
The average GPA of this year’s scholarship recipients is 3.7 on a four-point scale, with four of the students receiving AA degrees at the same time that they receive their high school diplomas this spring. Members of the Circle of Scholars will serve as mentors as the students begin college in the fall.
“One of the hallmarks of a Nina Haven scholarship,” says Judith Weber, President of the Nina Haven Charitable Foundation, “is the personal interest we take in our scholarship recipients. We provide mentors, guide them through the early days of the college experience, and help open doors to them when they graduate.”
Nina Haven scholarships, heavily based on financial need, grant up to $2,500 a year to students graduating from a Martin County high school and entering a two or four year college program. This year marks the 49th year of the program, and its prior recipients include many current community leaders.
“As a Nina Haven scholar myself,” says Weber, “I can attest to the power of these scholarships. They open doors to college, and they assure young people that an entire community of individuals is behind them, believing in them, and ready to assist if needed.”
The Nina Haven Foundation has established “Sector Scholarships” for next year in addition to current academic scholarships. Sector scholarships in alternative energy, life sciences and health, information technology and digital media, environmental studies, education and the arts will help students take up professions that will enable them to return to the Treasure Coast and contribute to the local economy and quality of life.
