Chester County, PA- (October 19, 2015): “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.”-Oscar Wilde. This is the quote the Scholarship Committee of the Dr. Janet P. Shaner Memorial Scholarship Fund kept in mind as they decided what to do with the remainder of the funds as the fund comes to a close. The committee has decided that the monies will be used for charitable purposes to be decided by the individuals who had been awarded the Dr. Janet P. Shaner Scholarship. There is one small but mighty stipulation, that the money is to be used for random acts of kindness on World Kindness Day.
The Dr. Janet P. Shaner scholarship fund was originally created in memory of Dr. Shaner, a former West Chester Area School District educator and administrator. Dr. Levi Wingard, one of the Fund Advisors for the scholarship fund, recalled that Janet was the kind of woman who enjoyed paying the toll for a car behind her when driving on the highway just to make someone’s day a little brighter. In honor of Dr. Shaner’s giving nature the committee believes having those who received a gift of support from the scholarship fund in the past, can now pass along that kindness. There have been a total of 41 scholarship recipients from Dr. Shaner’s fund since its inception. Scholarship recipients graduated from Chester County schools including West Chester B. Reed Henderson, West Chester East, and Bayard Rustin High Schools.
World Kindness Day is celebrated on November 13th each year. The scholarship committee hopes that the recipients will send them a note or letter about how they used their monies culminating in a beautiful story of continued kindness and generosity.
The Dr. Janet P. Shaner Scholarship Fund is a fund of the Chester County Community Foundation. The Fund committee members are: Patti Wilkinson-Jackson, Maureen Wilkinson-Reuther, Jo Javens-Spangenberg, Jan Vokoun, Levi Wingard, Marcy Wingard, and Eva Wylie. The Chester County Community Foundation connects people who care with causes that matter, so their philanthropy makes a difference now and forever. The Community Foundation holds over 350 funds in trust and annually awards $2.3 million in grants and scholarships. To learn more visit www.chescocf.org
The preceding Press Release was sent to the Phoenixville Regional Chamber of Commerce by the Chester County Community Foundation.
