Financial Assistance

Friends Make These Opportunities Possible

In more than thirty years of programming for gifted children, The Center has always provided financial assistance to students who could not attend otherwise. The following generous people have made — and will continue to make — an impact on countless gifted and talented young people because they have endowed scholarships. However, there are always more qualified students who need financial help.

If you, or a business or foundation that you know, would be willing to offer scholarship support, please contact Dr. Julia Roberts, Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies or Amanda Coates-Lich, Development Officer for the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Opportunities for providing scholarships can be funded on an annual basis for the cost of the program or on an ongoing basis through an endowment. Whether it be an endowment or a one-time gift, we would be delighted to hear from you.

The William Gladstone Begley II Scholarship: Gifted and talented students from eastern Kentucky wishing to attend SCATS or VAMPY have the opportunity to apply for this scholarship. Originally from Hazard, KY, Dr. W.G. Begley and the Begley family have been ardent supporters for excellence as well as a dear friend to The Center. Drs. Dick and Julia Roberts wish to memorialize this fine man and his memory by perpetuating one of his missions in life: the love of learning. His daughter Jennie Lou Eidson was a counselor for SCATS and VAMPY for several years. Others who wish to help endow the scholarship should contact the Center.

The Lynne Elizabeth Hamlett Memorial Scholarship Awards: This annual scholarship is intended to help qualified McCracken County, KY, students who require financial assistance to attend Western Kentucky University‘s academic summer camps. In memory of a teenage relative who died in a tragic car accident, Jackie, Bill and Lauren Capps, formerly of McCracken County, established the fund in 1997 through the Western Kentucky University Foundation Fund for Talent Development. While the family lived in McCracken County, their daughter benefited from the efforts and programs promoted and/or provided by KAGE, Mc-KAGE, and WKU’s Center for Gifted Studies. They appreciated the positive differences created by tailored educational challenges, intellectual interaction and social/emotional support, both within and outside the classroom. They established the scholarship by donating stock, which was matched by The Ingersoll Rand Company. Their generosity will ensure that young people from McCracken County will be able to attend the programs for years to come.

The Highland Scholarship: Friends who wish to remain anonymous donated this scholarship. It is designated to support a student from Louisville, KY, to attend VAMPY. The donor requested that the scholarship be made available to a student who “would never in a million years have the opportunity to experience VAMPY due to the financial condition of the family.” The scholarship covers the entire tuition amount.

The Riley Jane Lawrence Memorial Scholarship: On July 25, 2008, VAMPY alumna Sarah Markham Lawrence (1988-90) and her husband, David, lost their only child. Four-year-old Riley Jane Lawrence and her cousin were crossing the street to go to a swim lesson when they were killed by a car. VAMPY friend Melissa Middleton Biliter (1988-90) wanted to honor the life of Riley Jane by creating a scholarship in her memory. The Riley Jane Lawrence Memorial Scholarship will go to a student who is gifted and talented and eligible for VAMPY but cannot afford to attend without assistance. All contributions made to this fund will not only honor the memory of a special little girl, but they will also support the education and enrichment of a gifted child in need. Thanks to the generosity of Melissa, Sarah, and David — and hopefully many other friends of The Center — gifted and talented young people will now be able to experience the magic of VAMPY just as Sarah and her sister Katherine Markham Ballard (1997-99) did. The goal is to endow the scholarship which means that it will be awarded summer after summer. The amount to endow it is $46,000, so every gift is appreciated.

The Mahurin Scholarship: The Mahurin Scholarship is awarded annually to two students from Grayson County Middle School or Grayson County High School to participate in SCATS or VAMPY. These scholarships are made possible through an endowment which has been established for this purpose.

The Doctors Mody Minority Scholarship: Doctors Bharat and Bharati Mody of Glasgow, KY, have generously endowed a full-tuition, needs-based scholarship for minorities to attend VAMPY. Their donation ensures that a high ability young person who otherwise would not have been able to attend will benefit from the VAMPY experience for years to come. The doctors explain, “We have felt that minority students do not get the same exposure and opportunity as others. They have a desire and a will but often do not have the means to fulfill that desire.” This family has a long relationship with The Center. Both Mody daughters attended camps: Bhavana came to SCATS in 1991, and Bhavini participated in SCATS in 1993 and 1994. And Dr. Bharat Mody served a two-year term on the Board of Advisors. Their donation perpetuates this involvement for as long as there is The Center for Gifted Studies.

 The Stephanie D. Woodward Scholarship: “Stephanie made a bigger impact on my life than anyone I’ve ever met…. Stephanie Woodward taught me to make the most of every situation, how to believe in myself, and how to form friendships that last forever,” writes Cynthia Gilson, former VAMPY roommate of Stephanie Woodward. “At the end of the first summer, we promised to keep in touch. We did, and we were roommates for a second and third summer. As time passed, we both matured and our friendship grew. A few months before our fourth summer, Stephanie sent me a card telling me she was looking forward to our fourth and final summer program. She ended with ‘only 43 days more’ until camp. About a month later, on May 31, 1987, Stephanie was killed in a car accident.” People who loved Stephanie set up a scholarship in her memory. It is awarded to a VAMPY student who exemplifies high ethical and scholastic standards and has a need for financial assistance in order to participate. From this tragedy comes hope and opportunity for countless others, a fitting tribute to someone who “made the most of every moment”.