Officers’ spouse club awards scholarships

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Joseph Kapinos
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The Grand Forks AFB Officers' Spouse Club awarded six academic scholarships totaling $6,500 to deserving students as part of their on-going dedication to improving the quality of life on the base and surrounding community in a ceremony here March 15.

All of the money used in the scholarship program was raised through the efforts of volunteers at the base thrift store.

The winners of the scholarships were Katie Raker, Shelby Nelson, Tawna Rausch, Hannah Dennis, Ryan Frownfelter and Angela Bell. The scholarships ranged from $750 to $1,500 and were awarded based on academic and civic achievement, leadership skills, and strength of character.

"Considerable time and effort goes into maintaining the integrity of the scholarship program," said Mrs. Heather Goodwin, OSC president. "All of the packages were reviewed by an independent committee made up of members of the education community."

"They made their recommendations to us and the OSC Scholarship committee then made the selections," she added.

In addition to the scholarships, the club also honored members of the base for their dedication to volunteerism in the local community. Ms. Natalie Kuehn and Ms. Marsha Smith were honored with the Sandy Turner Angel award for their work. Ms. Kuehn is an active member of the Parent Teacher Organization and works with the base tiger cubs scout den. Ms. Smith volunteers at the thrift shop and has been instrumental in its success.

Scholarships are not the only charitable contributions the club makes to the local community. They have also made donations to support the Northwood, N.D. tornado relief effort, the Northlands Rescue Mission and Twining Middle School. The club made contributions on a national level to the Air Force Enlisted Foundation, the Air Force Village Foundation and the Fisher House, as well as others. To date, the club has donated close to $10,000.

"We are proud to be able to support so many worthwhile organizations and causes," said Mrs. Goodwin. "It makes us feel good that we are having a true positive impact on our base, our community and our country."