Bay Area Kiwanis Club 2015 Scholarships, June 19

The Bay Area Kiwanis Club awarded ten $2,000 scholarships to area students. The scholarship committee is made up of two Kiwanis club members, one Oregon Community Foundation representative and two members from the community at large. Awards went to 2015 graduates Nicole Seals (Myrtle Point High School) who will enroll at SWOCC; Marina Wilson (Coquille High School) who will attend Linfield College; and Grant Crim (Winter Lakes High School) who will also enroll at SWOCC. 2014 area graduates who received scholarships are Josu Rangel Mendoza (Myrtle Point High School) now enrolled at SWOCC; Hope Richert (Bandon High School) now at OSU; and Chelsea Samora, North Bend now attending Yale University. 2013 graduates also received awards to continue their education – Angeline Brown (Bandon High School) now at OSU; Alexis Busso (Bandon High School) now at U of O; and Jacob McAvoy (Marshfield High School) now attending OIT. The club was especially pleased to award a scholarship to 1987 Marshfield graduate Timothy Mansfield. Having served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army, Mansfield will be attending Eastern Oregon University’s School of Nursing. The committee also selected three worthy alternates should any of the awardees be unable to continue their education as planned. Eligible candidates for the scholarships are graduating seniors or former graduates from a Coos County High School as well as GED and home schooled graduates. They must have applied to, been accepted by, or attained eligibility to attend a two-year or four-year accredited educational institution, vocational/technical school, or graduate program. The scholarship awards are made possible thanks to community support at fund raisers including the Wave Young annual Salmon BBQ, the annual Bandon Crossings Golf Scramble, holiday See’s Candy sales, and the Blackberry Arts Festival. Generous contributions to the club’s Oregon Community Foundation managed fund and gifts from the F. Willis Smith fund also support the scholarship fund. In addition to scholarships, Bay Area Kiwanis sponsor an annual shoe giveaway for kids in need, Girl and Boy Scouts, Marshfield and North Bend Key Clubs, a team participating in the OSAA annual Boys and Girls 3A Championship Basketball, and other events that benefit youth in our community. The club meets Thursdays at noon at North Bend Lanes.