of Central Bucks County and Surrounding Communities
The VIA is committed to empowering others through education and offers several awards and scholarships. The VIA offers Educational Scholarships, HOBY Scholarships, and Women’s Scholarships. Through the James-Lorah Memorial House Committee, it also gives two awards: the James-Lorah Deed of Kindness Prize and the James-Lorah English Prize.
The Education Committee awards three Hannah Pollock-Laura Haddock Scholarships to graduating high school seniors who reside in the Central Bucks School District and have been accepted by a college or university to major in a human health-related program. Since 2008, the VIA has awards $54,000 in scholarships to Central Bucks graduates.
| YEAR | Name | High School | University | Award |
| 2019 | Sabrina Antonucci | CBEast | Notre Dame | $2,000 |
| 2019 | Laura Spadt | CB South | Penn State | $2,000 |
| 2019 | Julia Wieger | CB East | Univ. Pittsburgh | $2,000 |
| 2018 | Ashley Weiss | CB East | Univ. Maryland | $2,000 |
| 2018 | Lydia Hu | CB West | Penn State | $2,000 |
| 2018 | Sambhav Jain | CB East | Georgia Tech | $2,000 |
| 2017 | Alekhya Gunturi | CB East | Boston University | $2,000 |
| 2017 | Jack Traina | CB West | Harvard | $2,000 |
| 2017 | Sammy Omesi | CB West | Univ. North Carolina | $2,000 |
| 2016 | Casey Zhang | CB East | Univ. Pittsburgh | $2,000 |
| 2016 | Joseph M. Callaghan III | AB Wood | Penn State | $2,000 |
| 2016 | Madeline Myrtetus | CB East | Univ. Virginia | $2,000 |
| 2015 | Abby Rubin | CB South | Washington Univ. | $2,000 |
| 2015 | Michele Karn | CB South | Franciscan Univ. | $2,000 |
| 2015 | Pooja Gandhi | CB East | LaSalle Univ. | $2,000 |
| 2014 | Lisa Thein | AB Wood | Penn State | $2,000 |
| 2014 | Sarah D’Souza | CB East | Penn State-Schreyer | $2,000 |
| 2014 | Zoe Barbati | CB East | Univ. Pennsylvania | $2,000 |
| 2013 | David Weinstein | CB East | Univ. Michigan | $1,000 |
| 2013 | Erin Ross | CB South | St. Joseph’s Univ. | $1,000 |
| 2013 | Timothy Schisselbauer | AB Wood | Temple Univ. | $1,000 |
| 2012 | April Zhang | CB South | Univ. of Miami | $1,000 |
| 2012 | Michael Chen | CB West | Mass. Institute Tech. | $1,000 |
| 2012 | Priya Patel | CB East | Wellesley | $1,000 |
| 2011 | Jennifer Guidera | CB East | Harvard | $1,000 |
| 2011 | Kimberly Lor | CB South | Univ. Pittsburgh | $1,000 |
| 2011 | Sarah Hadyniak | CB South | Boston University | $1,000 |
| 2010 | Brendan Fairman | CB West | Univ. Calif.-Berkley | $1,000 |
| 2010 | Christopher Zheng | CB South | Cornell | $1,000 |
| 2010 | Mira Amin | CB South | Temple 7yr. BA/MD | $1,000 |
| 2009 | Ana Boccuti | CB West | Franklin & Marshall | $1,000 |
| 2009 | Andrew Degatano | CB East | Cornell | $1,000 |
| 2009 | Sasha Halaze | CB West | Moravian College | $1,000 |
| 2008 | Katelyn Mullen | CB West | $1,000 | |
| 2008 | Kathryn Calpino | CB East | $1,000 | |
| 2008 | Kelly Donahue | CB South | $1,000 | |
| TOTAL | $54,000 |
The committee also evaluates senior high school nursing scholarship candidates and selects the recipient for the VIA Ruth Boland Memorial Nursing Scholarship which is financially supported by the family of late VIA President Ruth Boland.
For the eighth year, the family of the late Ruth Boland, former VIA President and nurse, funded the VIA Ruth Boland Memorial Nursing Scholarship. At the VIA June 2019 Luncheon, Kathleen and Jeanne Boland presented the $2,000 award to Rebekah Cheng, a Central Bucks East student who plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Nursing.
Since 1992, the Village Improvement Association of Doylestown has worked with the three Central Bucks School District high schools to identify outstanding sophomore students with promising leadership skills to attend Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership seminars. The VIA funds the fee to attend these informative skill-and-character-building three-day sessions. Each June, these students are invited to attend the VIA Membership luncheon to be honored and shared how the experience has impacted them.
Since 1992, the Village Improvement Association of Doylestown has worked with the three Central Bucks School District high schools to identify outstanding sophomore students with promising leadership skills to attend the three-day HOBY Leadership seminars. The VIA provides scholarships to attend these informative skill and character-building sessions. The three recipients this year include Sarah Zhang, Central Bucks East; Livia Olsen, Central Bucks West, and Elizabeth Zuerblis, Central Bucks South.
Hugh O’Brian, best known for his acting role as Marshall Wyatt Earp in the 1950 TV series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, was a humanitarian as well. In 1958 O’Brian established the Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation whose mission is “to inspire students to a life of leadership and service to their communities.”
Today, the HOBY Foundation holds seminars nationwide and in many foreign countries with more than 12,000 students participating each year.
In 1924, Martha James Lorah established the Deed of Kindness Prize in her will and her husband, George Lorah, both a minister and amateur poet, established the George H. Lorah English Prize in his wife’s memory. In June 2018 $100 was awarded to Hailey Bekos for the Martha James Lorah Deed of Kindness Prize and $100 was awarded to Andrew Cox for the George H. Lorah English Prize.
This committee was established in 1997. It is a program designed to provide financial aid to eligible women to obtain education and/or training to prepare them to secure employment or to improve their work status by upgrading their skills. The scholarships are based on need and must be used only for educational/vocational purposes.
The committee receives applications from women who are primarily referred through social service agencies, local college counselors, and community support groups. Applicants are generally adult women seeking to re-enter the job force, who are in need of support services for counseling and housing. Many of the applicants are single parents hoping to establish financial independence for themselves and their children. Applicants submit a goal statement, personal references and a plan of study. This committee does not review applications from graduating high school students.
Click here to download an application – WOMEN’S SCHOLARSHIP FORM
