Purpose
To promote continuing education and/or career readiness by awarding scholarships for students who demonstrate academic achievement and plan to pursue a degree or certification from a four-year university or college, community college, or recognized trade school. Priority will be given to students who received glasses through the Conexus Mobile Vision Clinic.
Background
The Timothy L. Gresham, Conexus Eyes of the Future Scholarship Fund was established to honor Tim Gresham, Conexus’ longest serving President and CEO. Mr. Gresham dedicated more than 40 years of his career to ensuring Virginia’s children were not hindered in their educational pursuits by the limitations of uncorrected, poor vision. This scholarship serves to honor Mr. Gresham’s legacy by recognizing the success and academic achievements of students who needed and received vision correction through the services of the Conexus Mobile Vision Clinic over the course of their education.
Conexus is a private, non-profit 501 c 3 organization, founded in 1957 as the local Virginia affiliate of the national organization, Prevent Blindness America. In 2014, then Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic separated from the National organization to become Conexus with a sole mission to remove uncorrected poor vision as a barrier to a child’s learning success.
Eighty percent of what a child learns in school is through their vision, making good vision a critical component to learning success. Nationally, 1 in 4 school-aged children have a vision problem; however, Conexus programs have consistently found that number to be as high as 1 in 3 in many of Virginia’s school divisions.
Over time, Conexus has worked diligently to bring enhanced vision programs to Virginia schools and/or divisions that would most benefit. Conexus programs seek to first identify students who are not seeing as well as they should through a technology-based vision screening. Students identified as needing follow-up vision care are offered the services of the Conexus Mobile Vision Clinic, where they can receive an on-site eye exam and glasses, if prescribed, right at their school.
Timothy L. Gresham, Conexus Eye of the Future Scholarship Fund was founded to support students who achieve academic success after receiving glasses through the work of the Conexus Mobile Vision Clinic.
Policy
The scholarship program is available to seniors graduating from Petersburg High School with plans to attend a technical/trade school, community college, two-year or four-year college/university as a full-time or part-time undergraduate student (at least 6 hours per semester).
Scholarship Applicants Must
- Be a student in good standing at Petersburg High School.
- Have previously participated in a Conexus Mobile Vision Clinic and received glasses.
- Express an interest in attending a technical/trade school, community college, two-year or four-year colleges/universities as a full-time or part-time undergraduate student (at least 6 hours per semester).
- Submit a completed John Randolph Foundation Scholarship Application ONLINE to include the required documents, which must be uploaded with the application.
- Have a G.P.A. of 2.5 or better on a 4.0 grading scale, or equivalent.
Criteria Scoring
- (5 Points) Letters of Recommendation
- (10 Points) Academics
- (10 Points) Statement & Essay
- (15 Points) Video Submission – How did receiving glasses through the Conexus Mobile Vision Clinic impact your educational experience or success?
Procedure
The scholarship will be paid directly to the school for current-year tuition, fees, books purchased through the institution attended, and on-campus dormitory and meal plan expenses.
The scholarship committee will review and evaluate all applications and announce awards each spring. The committee will also review and revise the scholarship policy and criteria, as necessary.
To apply, visit www.johnrandolphfoundation.org, click on Grants & Scholarships, and Apply for a Scholarship.
The application and required attachments must be submitted online no later than midnight on February 15. If the above due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, then the deadline becomes the next business day by midnight.
Required Attachments to be uploaded as part of the application process include:
- Academic Transcript(s) (High School or College, whichever applies.)
- FAFSA Submission Summary (which includes the Student Aid Index (SAI): formally known as Expected Family Contribution (EFC). SAI is an eligibility index number used to determine federal student aid and is generated from the completed FAFSA Application.
- Two Letters of Recommendation (Current)
Failure to provide any of the above information or documentation by the deadline will disqualify an applicant from consideration for the Timothy L. Gresham, Conexus Eyes of the Future Scholarship Fund. John Randolph Foundation Scholarship Committee reserves the right to interview applicants in the final stages of selection. The decision of the scholarship committee in all matters regarding scholarships is final. Canvassing a Scholarship Benefactor, any John Randolph Foundation trustee or employee shall result in immediate disqualification.
Scholarship awards are subject to the availability of funds and contingent upon acceptance and enrollment in an approved program.
John Randolph Foundation respects the privacy of scholarship applicants. Any personal or financial information will be used for the purpose of assessing the scholarship application and will be made available solely to the Foundation’s staff and scholarship selection committee. All essays and/or video statement submissions will be shared with Conexus and may be used in conjunction with program reporting or fundraising initiatives. We make every effort to maintain your confidentiality.