Three Rivers Community Receives Scholarship to Support the Trades
It started with a phone call that every superintendent wants but few receive. Last summer, Tim Vollrath, Post Commander of Miller-Stockum American Legion Post #485 in Cleves, Ohio reported to Craig Hockenberry, Superintendent of Three Rivers Local School District that a community member was setting up a scholarship through the American Legion that would benefit not only Taylor High School students and alumni but the entire Three Rivers community. The Courter Trade Scholarship will help to finance those individuals who want to by-pass a four-year college and instead go into a trade school.
The Courter Trade Scholarship has been established through the American Legion by Mrs. Rhonda Carter in honor of her late husband, Charles W. Carter, Jr. Mr. Carter was a lineman for what is now Duke Energy for thirty years.
The Courter Trade Scholarship will be open to any resident within the confines of the Three Rivers School District in the age range of eighteen to twenty-five who has graduated from any accredited high school and wishes to attend a trade school. The scholarship will also be available to those already on a career path but wish to gain additional certifications in their chosen careers to enhance their positions in their field. The Miller-Stockum Post will accept applications and a selection committee made up of Legion members, and community partners will choose who will receive the scholarships from the list of applicants. Applications for the scholarship will be available March 8, 2019, through April 15, 2019, online at www.miller-stockumpost485.org.
Funding for the scholarship is expected to be ongoing so that residents of the Three Rivers community will be impacted for years to come. Others who see the value of the scholarship will also be able to donate through the Miller-Stockum Post.
At the Three Rivers School District, Superintendent Hockenberry wants to encourage students at Taylor High School to consider taking advantage of the scholarship. He said, “the donation by the Carter family has opened new career pathways for our students. It has also generated excitement about the trades that we have not experienced in years.”
The American Legion plans to get the word of the scholarship out to those in the community who have delayed their own training goals due to military service or other personal matters but are now ready to pursue their education to achieve a place in the skilled occupations.
"We are excited and honored to be part of this opportunity," said Post Commander Vollrath. "We hope the community continues to support this wonderful scholarship for our youth."