Eleven seniors awarded WTC Warwick Citizens Memorial Scholarships
WARWICK — On June 3, during the annual Warwick Valley High School Awards Night, 11 scholarships were presented by Richard Arnott on behalf of the WTC (World Trade Center) Warwick Citizens Memorial Scholarship.
Arnott, presented the awards in place of his father, George Arnott, chairman of the Warwick Citizens Memorial Scholarship, who was away at the time.
The stated purpose of the scholarship is to honor all those members of the Town of Warwick who gave of their time, energy and, in some cases, their lives as a result of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
The scholarships are awarded to students from the Warwick area who have demonstrated outstanding community service and academic achievement.
Each of the applicants this year had been asked to provide a personal essay describing his or her community service over the past two years, a detailed letter from the organization that was served and a copy of the applicant's high school transcript.
Cassidy Korson, for example, organized a coat drive for the Vision Community Church's Hope Chest.
"More than 40 people in need were given warm coats through Cassidy's efforts," wrote Hope Chest Director Sharon Scott.
Others receiving the $500 awards were Avery Centorrino, Connor Davis, Clare Finnegan, Ava Lillian, Marc Mifsud, Sean Rice, Gianna Rotondo, Bridget Scheinert, Caroline Seeberg and Allyson Yates.
Immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, local citizens established the WTC Warwick Citizens Memorial Committee. The Committee then set out to raise funds for a monument honoring local citizens who were victims on that fateful day. The monument now stands in Veterans Memorial Park.
The successful fund raising, however, exceeded its goal by $19,000 and the committee voted to donate the excess funds to a WTC Warwick Citizens Memorial Annual Scholarship Fund. And today there is $6,000 remaining for additional scholarships.