THE HISTORY OF THE HEARTS AND HANDS SCHOLARSHIP
The Hearts and Hands Scholarship Fund was chartered in December 1994. Established as a non-profit by the State of Tennessee in accordance with Section 501(c)(3), it operates with a seven member board. The purpose of the board is to raise money for scholarships to assist deserving local students further their education. The students must live in Townsend and be enrolled in a regionally accredited college or vocational school.
In 1995, the first year scholarships were awarded, $450 was given divided between two students. In 2018 the board awarded scholarships ranging from $600 to $900 to fourteen students totaling $10,700, which includes an additional $1000 amount to the recipient of the Dorothy Storey Scholarship. To date over $270,000.00 in scholarships has been awarded. Some students have received aid for their entire college career.
An endowment fund of $100,000 has been established to provide long-term funding for the mission of Hearts and Hands. The objective of the fund is the growth of its principal with the goal of assuring that scholarships will be available to our students in the future.
Many forms of fund raisers have been held through the years. We are now concentrating our efforts on the Hearts and Hands Thrift Shoppe, which opened in May of 2018 and has succeeded beyond our expectations thanks to the tremendous support of the community and all our volunteers.
The Hearts and Hands Scholarship Fund could not exist without the generous respect and support of the community.