2007 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
About Brian Ellis
Brian Todd Ellis was born on the 9th day of October 1972 in Lewiston, Idaho. It was in Lewiston that Brian’s family began instilling the qualities of a gentleman and a scholar that he would carry and share throughout his lifetime. He was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) when he was young, but continued to live a very active and fulfilling childhood. Brian joined FarmHouse Fraternity at the University of Idaho, graduating in 1997 with degrees in environmental science and geography. After completion of his collegiate education Brian moved to Boise, Idaho. While living in Boise, Brian was married August 11, 2001 to Anne Nelson until he passed away on November 24, 2002.
About Cystic Fibrosis
CF is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. CF occurs in approximately one of every 3,500 live births. About 1,000 new cases of CF are diagnosed each year. Approximately 80 percent are diagnosed by the age of three; however, newly diagnosed cases are age 18 or older. According to the CF Foundation’s National Patient Registry, the median age of survival for a person with CF is in the mid-30s.
People with CF have a variety of symptoms including: very salty-tasting skin, persistent coughing, at times with phlegm; wheezing or shortness of breath, accompanied with excessive appetite but poor weight gain. Symptoms vary from person to person due, in part, to more than 1,000 mutations of the CF gene. More than 10 million Americans are unknowing, symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene. An individual must inherit two defective CF genes – one from each parent – to have CF. Every time two carriers conceive, there is a 25 percent chance that their child will have CF; a 50 percent chance that the child will be a carrier of the CF gene; and a 25 percent chance that the child will be a non-carrier.
This defective gene causes the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. These thick secretions also obstruct the pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines to help break down and absorb food. The mucus can also block the bile duct in the liver, which eventually causes permanent liver damage in approximately six percent of people with CF.
About the Scholarship
Brian’s best friends and FarmHouse Fraternity brothers – along with his family and his late wife - established the Brian Ellis Memorial Foundation. To keep the memory of Brian alive, an annual scholarship of $1,500 is awarded by the Foundation to a current FarmHouse member who exemplifies the qualities that Brian possessed: honesty, integrity, motivation and friendship.
Criteria
To qualify for the scholarship, a student must meet all of the following:
Currently be enrolled full-time at the University of Idaho.
Be an active member in good standing with the Idaho chapter of FarmHouse Fraternity.
Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
Requirements
In addition to meeting the above criteria all applicants must submit a minimum 2 pages, typed, double-spaced essay addressing the following:
One of the most influential milestones in your life will be your collegiate experience. After making the decision to attend college, one of your first independent decisions of your adult life will be to decide where to live. What guided your decision to make FarmHouse Fraternity your place of residence at the University of Idaho?
How has your experience at FarmHouse transformed you into a “Builder of Men?” How have the FarmHouse motto, “Builders of Men” and your entire FarmHouse experience changed the way you will guide your future?
Brian Ellis had many distinct and admirable qualities. The foundation of these qualities resides within his values: Integrity, Motivation, and Friendship. Describe your core qualities that make you a distinct and admirable FarmHouse brother, and your plan to continue to display these qualities throughout your life.
The Brian Ellis Memorial Foundation must receive the following materials no later than December 1, 2007:
Fill out and sign the demographic application page. Incomplete applications will NOT be eligible.
Personal essay (described above)
One ACADEMIC letter of recommendation
One PERSONAL letter of recommendation
Official college transcripts
Detailed list of positions held within FarmHouse Fraternity
Detailed list of extra-curricular activities within and outside of FarmHouse Fraternity
Please contact the Brian Ellis Foundation Scholarship Chairman if you have any questions or comments.
Todd D. Ray
Todd
206-718-1230
The Brian Ellis Foundation would like to thank you for taking the time to complete this application. We wish you the best of luck with your continued college education and your future.
Please forward ALL required materials to the following address:
Brian Ellis Memorial Foundation
4595 W. Hidden Springs Drive
Boise, ID 83714
[1]
[1] 9/2006