AUSTIN SCHOLARSHIP CEREMONY
Every year, Third Unitarian Church raises money to give scholarships to children from the neighborhood. The church is located in Austin, a neighborhood on the Westside of Chicago. Austin is one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. and the Westside of Chicago is radically isolated by poverty. Many of the young people who receive these scholarships are the first members of their family to go to college, and the funds make a difference in their lives. Third invites the students and their families to come to a service honoring them. Selected students speak, donors and students meet, and scholarship alumni connect with the new generation of young people from Austin on their way to college. The order of service from the ceremony is below. About a month before the ceremony, the Austin Scholarship Commitee meets with the young scholars to talk about school and their future. I spent a few hours with them, playing games, building connections, and talking about the value of strong community support for first generation college students.
