Simple Goal - Help those deserving students in need with their college tuition.
In honor of the most important and cherished man in my life, this scholarship was created so that my former students could get as much help and support as my father gave to my brother and me. As a single dad, his sacrifices were much more than a young boy could ever understand, especially when my priorities back then were baseball and football, as opposed to doing my best in school or even behaving my best... Here's to you, dad.
Helping kids pay for their education was a vision of mine for many years as a teacher, a student teacher, and even well before finishing college myself.Unfortunately, while teaching in public schools in New York, Inglewood, and Santa Monica, it never seemed to be anything more than a lofty and unattainable dream. However, in the past 35 years I have always dreamt big in all aspects of life, and as they say about setting goals... My wife and I feel very strongly about giving something back to our community.Consequently, this scholarship was created in the fall of 2004 with the goal of expanding by leaps and bounds to help dozens or even hundreds of students. Bill and Melinda Gates have a foundation with an endowment of $28.8 billion, and have awarded over $9 billion since 1999! "The best and the brightest students shouldn't be denied access to higher education simply because they can't afford it." - Bill Gates
While very few people can make such a significant impact, with the assistance of other contributors and support from the business community, this fund will do some extraordinary good for those incredible kids who are both driven and in need of our help.
If you would like to make a contribution to this very worthy and benevolent charity, please contact the executive director of the Ed. Foundation, Linda Gross. Linda is the absolutelywonderful person in charge of this fund: smmef@smmusd.org or 396.4557. Make checks payable to SMMEF with Gordon Clark Scholarship Fund in the memo section.
Linda Gross - Director Ed. Foundation, SMMUSD 1651 16th Street Santa Monica, CA 90404
Thank you for your generous support.
Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle. - Plato
God bless the child. - Billie Holiday
Imagine - John Lennon
2005 and 2006 Awards
In September of 2005, Linda Gross and I gathered the students and their friends and families around tables of their favorite food - pizza of course - and recognized the hard work of four outstanding kids. I was very proud to be able to have this first annual event with my father in attendance, as well as distinguished members of the school district.
The two students tied for the 3rd award received scholarships for $500 each.
The runner-up earned a scholarship for $1,000.
The winner of the top award was given a $2,000 scholarship.
She had a 4.0 gpa, is very active at school, and would like to attend either Dartmouth or Harvard... I cannot wait to hear that she and the others have done exactly that!
October 2006 - While only two students qualified for the scholarship this year, their awards were significant: $3,000 for the top recipient and $1,500 for the second place student. We celebrated their achievements at a very restaurant as a small group. Their principal was kind enough to join us. What a big honor for the kids! Their parents were very proud.
In 2007 we would like to contribute and raise as much as $10,000 with the help of corporate sponsorship, with elevated goals in each and every subsequent year.
I would like to thank and recognize a fantastic list (which continues to grow) of generous family, friends, clients, and colleagues who contributed to this dream of mine:
Joyce Abbott Melissa Alt Juanita Baltierra Scott Carmody Wayne and Lynn Clark Eugenia Chow Tracey Hennessey Samuel Katz Bob Quick Melanie Summers Bob TeSelle Jason and April Vanderpoort
