In June, we awarded three $1000
A Servant's Heart Scholarships to seniors graduating high school and planning to attend college in the fall. Since 2004, we have awarded $30,000 in scholarships.
The 2016 recipients are from varied backgrounds with diverse interests. Stephanie (Loudoun County High School) will attend Liberty University in the fall.
 Stephanie learned service from her family of mentors as well as the people of Appalachia. This summer will mark five years running that she has traveled to remote parts of Virginia to help with construction projects for needy families. Her specialty is roofing - somewhat surprising for someone who is more of an artist than a construction worker. She observed poverty, generosity and gratefulness in the people of Appalachia and wondered how people who have so little can be so grateful. In her essay, she wrote: "Putting others' needs before my own is a hard lesson to learn..."
The winning essay from Heritage High School was written by Matthew, who learned to
 serve the needy people of the Dominican Republic. After his first trip to the Dominican, he was struck by the poverty and lack of basic provisions he encountered. The shoeless children particularly bothered him. It was inevitable that he would make comparisons between their harsh living conditions and his life in Loudoun County. In his essay he wrote: "I wanted to take action to help the Dominican situation, but at first I didn't know how I could tackle such a vast problem."
To date, he has made three trips to the Dominican Republic, formed a nonprofit organization called Solely Serving, and provided more than 2000 pairs of shoes to needy children there. He will attend Northwestern University in the fall.
 The Briar Woods High School essay was written by Hannah, who learned about service from her family, from children who gave out of their poverty and from a woman who shared baking tips, ideas and supplies.
After a trip to Ghana to serve others, she came home inspired to make a difference in her community. Armed with willing hands and a servant's heart, she decided to use her baking talents to bless children. Since she started her own chapter of Birthday Cakes 4 Free, she has made over 300 birthday cakes for children she doesn't even know.
We are pleased to see that our scholarship winners learned one of the best-kept secrets in life: Service is not only about helping others - it's about learning from others.
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Retreat and several local Veteran's efforts.
