In compliance with GWCRHCAA, INC.’s mission to aid in the advancement of education and community service, and out of a glaring need to aid students applying for scholarships, the Director of Education, Evelyn Madden, formed a mentoring program in 2019 called SMARTAG (Scholarship Mentoring for Applicants Requesting Tuition Assistance Grants). Mentors consisted of retirees from each of the 4-County areas, and they served as a second pair of eyes for students applying for any scholarship. Students received guidance in time-management, scholarship searches, application directions, grammatical, mechanical, and content areas of the application process.

 

During its first year, only two students participated in the program, one junior and one senior from Culpeper County High School. With the assistance of his mentor, Greta Dickerson, DeShawn Latimer (left) garnered $11,500 in scholarship awards.

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In 2020, 10 seniors participated in the program. Those students were from Culpeper County’s Culpeper High and Eastern View; one student from Madison County attending a private school in Charlottesville also participated. Collectively, those students received over $32,000 in scholarships.