A shared hope to give back is opening doors for Jersey Shore students.
For Sandy and Bonnie, their friendship deepened long after their days at Jersey Shore High School. Class reunions and annual picnics gave them a chance to get to know each other in a way they hadn’t as teenagers.
Then, on a road trip in 2007, their friendship sparked an idea.
With their 50th reunion approaching, classmates had been talking about how to give back to the school and community that had given them their start. On the road, Sandy and Bonnie returned to one idea: a scholarship that would support Jersey Shore students for generations to come.
They began calling classmates from the car. The response was enthusiastic, and soon people were finding their own ways to contribute.
Over the next several years, classmates gathered for yard sales to raise money for the scholarship. People brought what they could, the Jersey Shore Community responded with support, and each sale moved the class closer to its goal. Those days spent working side by side also gave them more time to get to know one another.
Their creativity reached beyond the yard sales. Charlie Bierly created a DVD of his Pine Creek photographs and donated the proceeds. June Oechler Underwood turned those photographs into oil paintings to sell for the fund. Others made quilts, crafted macramé chairs or pledged gifts over three years.
Classmate John Ulmer, one of the group working to build support for the scholarship, captured that spirit in a 2008 newspaper interview: “It’s a group effort. Anything anyone can do through connections or talents to benefit the scholarship is great.”
Piece by piece, the class was building something that would last. Along the way, their friendships grew stronger, too.
A shared vision. A partner to make it possible.
The classmates brought their ideas, talents and commitment. FCFP offered guidance as they worked through questions, established scholarship criteria and created a fund that could support students for generations.
“We couldn’t have done it without the Foundation,” said Bonnie and Sandy.
That partnership continues today. FCFP stewards the fund with the same care for the classmates’ intentions and the students they hoped to support.
And those hopes have grown into more than the classmates first imagined. Their original goal was one $1,000 scholarship each year. This year, the Jersey Shore High School Class of 1960 Scholarship Fund awarded two scholarships of $3,200 each, providing $6,400 for students taking their next step.
Some past recipients now contribute to the fund themselves, carrying the classmates’ generosity forward.
The classmates set out to give back to the school and community that gave them their start. Today, their scholarship is doing the same for students beginning a new chapter. What began as an idea shared on a road trip continues to grow through the people who choose to be part of it.
What matters to you?
A school that gave you your start. A place that feels like home. A cause you’ve always cared about. Your own experiences can be the beginning of something meaningful for your community.
We’d love to hear what you have in mind. FCFP can work with you to explore ways to give back, whether you’re supporting an existing fund or considering something new.
For media inquiries about this story, contact Danielle Velkoff, Director of Communications, at DanielleV@FCFPartnership.org.