Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Greater Chattanooga awarded 29 students scholarships totaling $53,000 during the annual Scholarship Banquet. Part of a yearly initiative, local McDonald’s Owners help fund the scholarships by the sales of patriotic paper flags in their restaurants from Memorial Day to July 4.
Since 2002, the scholarship program has awarded $642,750 in funds to 556 students.
Scholarships are presented to students in the Greater Chattanooga area based on their all-around excellence in areas of citizenship, leadership, scholarship and extracurricular activities.
“These students have worked hard for their success. It is a pleasure to see them recognized and rewarded for their efforts,” said Anne Holland, McDonald’s Owner Operator. “We hope these scholarships will make a difference in the lives of these exceptional students.”
Students began the application process for this award in November. A volunteer committee of 50 reviewed the 129 applications, and the top 70 students were then invited for a personal interview before a panel. Once the 29 students were chosen by the selection committee, the RMHC Board of Directors ratified the award recipients.
“Each year choosing RMHC Scholarship recipients proves to be a very difficult task because there are so many deserving young people who apply,” said Jane Kaylor, President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga. “Our 50-member volunteer committee makes sure that every application is read and rated by at least five individuals, and a four or five-person panel interviews each applicant who makes it to the interview process. Even with this process, the selection is still difficult. We were pleased to award $53,000 in scholarships this year to 29 deserving students who will head off to 19 different colleges with our support.”