Charlestown Residents Raise More Than $150,000 to Help Their Student Scholars

CATONSVILLE, MD (June 9, 2015) – Arbutus resident Greg Olszewski was a student at Mount Saint Joseph High School 27 years ago when he received the first Student Scholarship ever awarded by Charlestown retirement community residents. He graduated from Loyola College of Maryland with a degree in Business Management and now works as Dining Director for Calvert School in Baltimore City.

Greg returned to Charlestown recently to speak at a ceremony in which his son, Dylan – who also attended Mount Saint Joseph High School – was among a 28-member Class of 2015 Student Scholars.

This year's recipients earned four-year collegiate scholarships in the amount of $6,000, a 25 percent increase over last year's amount

"The Charlestown Student Scholars Program demonstrated to me the importance of giving back and paying it forward  -- a value I cherish deeply," said Greg.

The life values Greg learned as a Charlestown Scholar has made a lasting impression on his son. "He is always putting other people's needs ahead of his, whether it be my aunt and uncle or a resident that he is meeting for the first time," said Dylan  "I always see him helping my sister and me with anything we need, and I see that same thing anywhere we go."

The Charlestown Scholars Program, funded mainly by resident contributions, raised more $150,000 this year in its spring campaign. Patti Santoni, Director of Philanthropy, remarked how amazing and heart-warming it is to see the generosity of our residents and how they truly care about the futures of the students whom they get to know well in the dining rooms.

Since its inception the Charlestown Scholars Program has raised more than $2.3 million, assisting over 1,200 students to advance their collegiate careers.

This year's student scholarship recipients are:

Bilal Ashiq – Catonsville High School

Dominique Bass – Baltimore City College – University of Baltimore

D'Lorian Brown – Randallstown High School

Aaliyah Costley – Lansdowne High School – Stevenson University

Ashley Cox – Catonsville High School - CCBC

Raiquan Dansburg – Carver Vo-Tech – Benedict College

N'Deye Diame – Western High School – University of Maryland college park

Morgan Fowler - Milford Mill Academy

Elizabeth Homans – Home-schooled - CCBC

Tiann Hopkins – Seton Keough High School

Ashley Horodyski – Chapelgate Christian Academy – Howard Community College

Anthony Hunter – Western School of Technology and Environmental Science

Arun James – Catonsville High school

Seth Johnson – Milford Mill Academy – Coppin State University

Ashly Kuruthukulam – Catonsville High school

Marili Lemus – Western School of Technology and Environmental Science – Towson University

Sheneia Lucas– Carver Vo-Tech – Morgan State University

Carrie McCray– Western High School – Coppin State University

Whitney Mugula – Woodlawn High School – Morgan State University

Rhiannon Myers – Home-schooled – Hood College

Dylan Olszewski – Mount Saint Joseph High School - CCBC

Ezinwa Onuoha – Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School – Baltimore City Community College

Alpheus Pryor– Catonsville High School

Taja Thomas – The Institute of Notre Dome – University of Findlay

Ladasanay Walker– Western High School – Towson University

Amanda Webb- Milford Mill Academy – Stevenson University

Ciara Wilson – Lansdowne High School

Olivia Wimbush - Carver Vo-Tech

To be eligible for a scholarship, the students employed in the Dining Services Department must work a minimum of 1,000 hours between their junior and senior years of high school, build positive relationships with residents and maintain a strong work record while employed at Charlestown.