BLANDING FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP
(Checks are made directly to the student. The University is not informed of the award.)
NAME: ______
LastFirstMiddle
Address: ______
______
Telephone Number: ______Mobile Telephone: ______
Email Address: ______
When was your high school diploma or GED awarded? ______
Name and address of high school or organization that awarded your diploma or GED: ______
Check your Blanding lineage from the following list of our 13 ancestors:
Leroy Blanding __Ornsby Blanding __Jim Blanding __Lucy Ann Blanding __
Pierce Blanding __Amelia Blanding __Lad Blanding __Louisa Blanding __
Lucy Blanding __Caleb Blanding __Wash Blanding __Howard Blanding __
Anna Blanding __
Funding for the Blanding Family Scholarship is provided solely from the volunteer contributions of Family Members. It is given to encourage young people to pursue their dreams and professional goals. Recipients must provide ‘Proof of Enrollment’ with a statement from the school’s Registrar. The amount of the award is based on the availability of funds. There is no GPA required to receive the Scholarship; however, persons receiving the Scholarship must have attended a minimum of two reunions within the last five years. These need not be consecutive years. To be clear, the student (not his/her parents or other relatives) must have attended the Family Reunion within this period. Indicate below the number of Reunions and the year(s) you attended.
Number of Reunions attended: _____Year(s) you attended Family Reunions: ______
Provide the following information for your parents or guardians:
Name:
LastFirstMiddle
Name:
LastFirstMiddle
What are your plans for pursuing your professional goals, and when will you begin?
School ___Military ___Work ___ Don’t Know ___Plan to begin: ______
What is the address? ______
You may submit additional comments about your awards, scholarships, and achievements on a separate page. That information will be summarized and placed on the Blanding Family Website to share your good news with the Family. Visit the Blanding Family Website:
Many Blanding Family members are accomplished in their careers, and may be able to provide guidance for your advancement. Soon a Blanding Career Directory will be on the Blanding Family Web site. Do not hesitate to make contact with persons listed in the Directory you feel might be able to assist you. Also, if you do not find the name of the person you’re looking for on the list, contact the Chair of the Scholarship Committee () for assistance in locating that individual.
Read more about the Blanding Family Scholarship on the following pages.
THE BLANDING FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP
Background:
The Blanding Family Scholarship was established at the Eighth Annual Blanding Family Reunion in Detroit, Michigan in 1986. The hosts of that Reunion were the late Dr. Hugh George Blanding and Mrs. Mamie Blanding. It was at that reunion that a very fruitful discussion was held to discuss the feasibility of a Blanding Family Scholarship. As in many large organizations, there was some reluctance to embrace the idea initially, and this was reflected in the lack of financial support.
It was during the Detroit Reunion that Dr. Katie Blanding proposed the establishment of a scholarship to support and encourage the educational development of family youth, and to support the pursuit of their professional goals. She chaired the first committee, which included Dr. Hugh Blanding, Senator (AL) Charles Langford, and Atty. Audrey Anderson. This core group set the wheels in motion and launched the scholarship. Most of these members served on subsequent Scholarship committees.
The first meeting was basically a brainstorming session, where the group discussed the name of the scholarship, award criteria, and fundraising. Suggested names included the Katie C. Blanding Scholarship; the Blanding Family Memorial Scholarship; the Audrey B. Langford Memorial Scholarship, and the Blanding Family Scholarship. The first awards were presented as the Blanding Family Memorial Scholarship. By common reasoning and group acceptance, the Scholarship is now presented as ‘The Blanding Family Scholarship.’
During the first meeting, award criteria generated a great deal of discussion. The committee weighed the merits of an academic award based on Grade Point Average (GPA) versus non-academic scholarships. The committee adopted the position that grade point averages would not be an award criterion. The reasoning was that basing the scholarship on GPA would negate the overarching spirit of the award, which is to encourage the educational development of Blanding Family Youth.
The committee agreed that recipients should attend the reunions. Over the years, enforcing the attendance criterion has been controversial and challenging; nonetheless, it remains a criterion. During the early years, a small number of scholarships were presented to high school graduates who never attended a Blanding Family Reunion. In 208, during the30th Reunion (Hilton Head, South Carolina), Family members agreed that beginning in 2009 attendance would be a major criterion for the Scholarship.
The third topic of the first committee meeting was fundraising. Over the years, a major challenge for the scholarship has been generating sufficient funding to support the number of eligible applicants. During the early years contributions were sparse, and insufficient for support of a single $50.00 award. It was in 1994, eight years after the Detroit Reunion that the first two official scholarships were awarded. Stefany Bea (Tuskegee University) and Thomas Daniel, III (University of Nebraska) received scholarships in the amount of $75.00 each. Of the thirteen descendants of Josh Blanding, both recipients traced their lineage to Ornsby Blanding.
Since those initial lean years, the funding level continued to fluctuate from $100.00 to $400.00. In 2000, during the 22nd Reunion in Mobile, Alabama, we awarded four scholarships in the amount of $400.00 each. The growth stemmed from soliciting funds during the registration process, and ‘passing-the-hat’ whenever possible during the Reunion activities
During the 27th Reunion, held in 2005 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the Family adopted the Chair’s recommendation to donate $1.00 for each year of the Reunion. This has become the accepted guidance for funding the Scholarship, and Family members have the option of including a donation to the Scholarship at the time of registration. It is still voluntary; however, donations make it possible to retain a reasonable balance in the treasury for awards. At present we are able to make awards of $500.00 for each recipient.
Scholarship Criteria:
Reunion Hosts are asked to include the scholarship option on the registration forms, which allows the registrants to donate $1.00 for each Reunion year. During the 32nd Reunion scheduled in 2010, in Mobile, Alabama, Family members are asked to donate $32.00 towards the Scholarship.
As people register for the Reunion, graduating high school seniors, and persons expecting to receive their GED, are asked to submit their names for the scholarship, provided they meet the attendance, lineage, and other criteria. Of note is the fact that over the years, we have been blessed to have many ‘Friends of Relatives’ attend our Family Reunion. Their attendance gladdens our hearts. None of these individuals have been scholarship recipients, nor have they indicated an interest. Even so, to be clear, at this time, we are only able to provide scholarships to persons who are heirs of the original thirteen descendants of Josh and Mary Blanding, who hailed from Sumter, South Carolina, and later located in Pittsview, Alabama.
Once the names are received for scholarship candidates, they will receive a congratulatory note from the Scholarship Chair. They will be informed of the criteria, and provided guidance of what to do next. All awards must be made before the next Blanding Family Reunion.
To receive the scholarship students must meet the following criteria:
- Complete and submit the Blanding Family Scholarship Application
- Attendance at a minimum of two Blanding Family Reunions within the last five years
- Provide ‘Proof of Enrollment’ for the semester you will begin school. (This is a routine request that is very familiar to the Registrar at colleges and universities. Students may submit the ‘Proof of Enrollment’ anytime during their first semester). Checks are usually mailed to the student 2-3 weeks after receiving the information.
- Provide the name and address so we will know where to send your scholarship check. Provide your email address and telephone number, so we may follow-up to make sure the check was received.
- Return the application and supporting materials to:
Dr. Katie Blanding, Chair
Blanding Family Scholarship
P. O. Box 9813
Alexandria, VA 22304
OR
703-354-4668 (H)
- Upon receipt of your materials, a check will be sent to you from the Treasurer, to the address you provide.
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