New Walter ‘Doc’ Hurley Scholarship Fund for Greater Hartford to Award Scholarship in 2014

With the generous support from a number of local residents, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is pleased to announce that the new Walter “Doc” Hurley Scholarship Fund for Greater Hartford will be offering a scholarship to an eligible student from the region this year. This fund is intended to help continue the proud legacy of the late Walter Hurley who dedicated his life to helping young people achieve their goals.

Several founding donors stepped forward early, providing significant support to ensure that a scholarship could be offered to a student graduating in 2014:  Dr. Stanley Battle, Judy Rozie-Battle, Carl Chadburn, Tom Giardini, Yvette Meléndez and Curtis Robinson.  Due to their collective initial contributions, the fund achieved its minimum threshold and assured that a scholarship would be awarded this year.“Walter “Doc” Hurley was a vibrant force in Hartford and is deeply missed by the people of this region, said Linda J. Kelly, president of the Hartford Foundation. “As the community foundation of the Hartford region, we are honored to continue Mr. Hurley’s legacy, and are grateful for the outpouring of support from local residents for the new scholarship fund created in his honor.”

The successful candidate must be a 2014 high school graduate with financial need, and will be eligible to receive an annual scholarship award of $3,000 per year, for up to four years. In addition to the standard criteria, the Walter “Doc” Hurley Scholarship Fund for Greater Hartford will include specific standards that reflect Mr. Hurley’s work:

-Participation in a wide variety of scholastic and other extracurricular activities;
-Recommendation of high school vice principal, guidance counselor or community leaders;
-Assessment of student’s writing ability conveyed in an essay entitled “Why I Deserve The Doc Hurley Scholarship Fund for Greater Hartford Award.”

“For more than 60 years, we’ve provided scholarships to thousands of Greater Hartford students, said Lori Rabb, Vice President for Philanthropic Services. “These scholarship funds have been created by people and organizations of all types from across our region to help students afford a college education.  Grants from named funds are combined with over $500,000 from the Foundation’s discretionary assets, enabling us to award more than $1 million in scholarships each year.”

Hartford Foundation Scholarship Program recipients include traditional-aged students, as well as adult learners at four-year and two-year colleges, and local community colleges, graduate and medical schools. Many of the scholarships for traditional-aged students are renewable, enabling students the opportunity to receive significant support for each of their years in college.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. It receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals, families and organizations and has awarded grants of more than $600 million since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org  or call 860-548-1888.