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Community Scholarship Fund Helps Fox Lane Grads Attend College

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. -- Students graduating from Fox Lane High School who want to attend college know Rewarding Potential Scholarship has their back.

Paul Alcorn

Paul Alcorn

Photo Credit: Contributed

The program, where the community helps fund college scholarships to Fox Lane graduates will be hosting an information session on Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Mount Kisco Public Library.

The steering committee will share success stories of scholarship students and talk about its mission to help Fox Lane students overcome financial barriers and realize their hopes and dreams of attending college.

Paul Alcorn, the pastor at Bedford Presbyterian Church, first dreamed of the program when he heard of a student named Kevin, who wanted to attend college but was homeless. He was adopted by congregants of the church and was accepted into a school in Maine, where a group raised funds to help send him to college.

After hearing of Kevin's story, a lightbulb went off in Alcorn's head and he realized there were more students like Kevin.

"How many other students have the academic credentials and the ambition for college but, because of background or income, find that dream impossible to achieve," Alcorn said. "What can we do to help transform their college dreams into reality?"

The program launched with $50,000 in seed money from the church and launched in fall of 2014. In spring 2015, $20,000 in annually recurring scholarships was awarded to three students. The program has now committed $345,000 to 12 students

"All of these students are doing well," Alcorn said. "It's easy to overlook that there are families in this community that have no financial resources. It was easy for me to overlook. It was never on my radar screen."

Alcorn said it is very satisfying to help kids realize their dream of obtaining a college education.

"This has changed their lives," Alcorn said. 

For more information on Rewarding Potential Scholarship, click here

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