Amherst, NH, May 10, 2021— The Amherst Community Foundation is pleased to announce our 2021 scholarship recipients, Bailey Burke and Rachel Mazur. The ACF scholarships are awarded to Souhegan seniors who have an outstanding record of community service in Amherst and plan to continue their education after graduation. These recipients were chosen from over a dozen applicants.
Our scholarship application asks students to tell us why they think Amherst is a special community and what they have done to contribute to our community.
Bailey Burke wrote about the special ways our community comes together on the town green for special celebrations such as Halloween, the Christmas Tree Lighting, and the 4th of July. She has volunteered with many groups in town including the Amherst Town Library, the Garden Club, and as a Girl Scout, she designed and built a storybook trail at the Peabody Mills Environmental Center. She states, “I wanted to encourage kids to get outside and use these great trails in town more and I thought that it would be a great way to get kids to become engaged with nature and the outdoors”.
Rachel Mazur believes Amherst is a special community because of the many opportunities to come together and connect, such as the Amherst Town Library summer reading program, the Amherst pet show, and ice cream socials held at the Congregational Church. She has been involved in Girl Scouts since kindergarten, participating in many volunteer projects throughout town over the years. In addition to Girl Scouts, she has been involved with the PTA Holiday Story Nights and PTA Plays. Her Girl Scout Gold Award project was creating an educational and inspirational video for the Amherst Conservation Commission. It is a three minute video explaining activities available on conservation trails around Amherst. According to Jared Hardner of the ACC, “Rachel not only delivered on her commitments as a volunteer, but she exceeded our expectations and made a genuine contribution to our community”. Rachel’s video can be found on the Amherst Conservation Commission’s (ACC) website.
Both Bailey and Rachel have outstanding records of community service and we wish the best of luck to them in all their future endeavors. We are confident they will continue their contributions to any community that they are a part of.
Previous Scholarship Recipients:
2020: Alec Reitter and Lydia Tesconi
2019: Ian Lewis and Lucy Stover
The Amherst Foundation was started by residents in 2014 seeking to improve the quality of life in Amherst by raising and providing funding for programs that benefit our community. The foundation provides ways for individuals, organizations, and corporations to channel their philanthropic giving for educational, cultural, environmental or health and wellness initiatives within our town. For more information contact us at info@amherstfoundation.org.