Wednesday May 21st, we announced the first KJO Scholarship winner of 2014.
This year’s recipient of the KJO Scholarship at HC is one of those good people doing great things. Her dedication and good works have had a ripple effect and it’s not overstating things to say she has helped make the world a better place.
We are so pleased to award this scholarship in Kelli’s name to Gloria Tabaczyk.
Gloria certainly meets — and exceeds — the standards for this scholarship. Like Kelli, she made a mark in athletics as a four-year member of the Swim and dive Team and a participant in girl’s gymnastics, soccer and track and field. She also has demonstrated academic skills with a strong grade point average. A strong work ethic is evident in her training as a lifeguard, her long experience as a babysitter and her participation in many service projects.
It was Gloria’s essay explaining how and why she gives back to others that touched us the most. Gloria received the Girl Scout Gold award, the highest award from the Girl Scouts, this is equivalent to the Boy Scout’s Eagle Scout award.
As part of her work towards this award Gloria led service projects including one where she made and sent friendship bracelets to orphan girls in Cape Town, South Africa. Another project where she partnered with a local quilting guild to make 135 dresses out of pillowcases for girls in an African village. That reminded us of how Kelli supported her brother Ryan’s work in building a computer lab and housing structures in the Rwanda, and how she had declared she wanted to go there and help out when she was old enough.
Girls in Africa are wearing bracelets through Gloria’s work to spread Joy where it is needed. Girls in this area wear bracelet in Kelli’s name made by one of Kelli’s classmates, who generously donates the money from bracelet sales back to Kelli’s foundation that funds this scholarship.
These bracelets are all circular, like the ever expanding circles that form form ripples in a pond. Thank You, Gloria, for continuing to widen that circle of Joy.
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