(Above image from onePULSEFoundation.org)
ORLANDO | onePULSE Foundation announced the recipients of its inaugural 49 Legacy Scholarship program in a press release May 7. The nonprofit organization established after the Pulse tragedy awarded a total of $333,000 in scholarships to 49 individuals to be used at an accredited institution of higher learning, including career and technical schools, during the 2020-21 academic year.
onePULSE worked with the families of each of those who were killed in the Pulse tragedy to establish the scholarships based on the respective victims’ interests, careers or aspirations. The 49 scholarships covered a wide range of careers including healthcare, business, cosmetology, social science, communications and the arts. Several of the scholarships were open to any field of study.
onePULSE received more than 200 applications for its inaugural set of scholarships. A committee of 17 community members scored each of the applicants in a three-phase process to determine the recipients.
“It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of the onePULSE Legacy Scholarship Program committee,” said committee chair Cathy Brown-Butler, who also serves as a onePULSE Foundation board member, in the press release. “Each of the committee members reviewed the applications with pride and care and was passionate about the support of the candidates. These 49 Legacy Scholarships will indeed open doors, change lives and carry on the hopes and dreams of the Angels.”
Applicants who are immediate family members of the 49 victims and survivors of the tragedy were given preference by the committee during the selection process. Three family members and three survivors were awarded scholarships.
“It has always been a passion of mine to be a firefighter and paramedic,” said Pulse survivor and scholarship recipient Amanda Grau in the release. “I am currently a Patient Care Technician and an EMT and I have finished Fire School as well. My next goal is to become a paramedic and the onePULSE Foundation has given me the opportunity to fulfill that dream.”
The 49 scholarships were funded in part by donors including AdventHealth, AlixPartners, Earl and Bettie Fields Automotive Group Foundation, GUCCI, Orlando Health, PVH Foundation and Wendy Trammel.
For a full list of the scholarship recipients and for more information on the 49 Legacy Scholarship program, visit onePULSEFoundation.org.
