Challenges for Godmothers and Goddaughters

by Connie Kent

photos by Gary Crites

The Fairy Godmother Scholarship Program is supporting ten first year students, ten second year students, four juniors and four seniors at various Oregon colleges and universities. Like many organizations, the Fairy Godmother Scholarship Committee has had to re-invent its operations due to the pandemic.

Each high school in Jackson County is allotted a certain number of applications based on the school’s enrollment. Usually in the fall, high school counselors are invited to an after-school meeting to learn about the details of the scholarship. This year, the meetings were held via Zoom.

Counselors invite the most qualified girls to apply. They must have financial need, have remarkable grades, take advanced classes, participate in extracurricular activities and volunteer work, and some also work many hours for wages. Here are the 2020 scholarship winners. During high school, the girls all demonstrated strong motivation and determination to pursue their goals and improve their lives and their communities, sometimes while overcoming difficult conditions at home.

Completing the application in electronic form is a hardship for some of the girls. Schools have made Chromebooks available for distance learning, but access to the Internet is a problem for some. The high school counselors help the girls overcome these obstacles.

In March, Committee members will go to their computers to begin reviewing thirty-plus completed applications, something that previously was done with paper copies. Using a rubric, they will evaluate each application. Then they will meet remotely to compare scores and choose the top candidates to interview. Finally, rather than meeting the girls at the high schools, they will invite them to Zoom interviews.

Each scholarship recipient is offered a fairy godmother to serve as her mentor. This older woman volunteers to provide whatever assistance the girl might need as she adjusts to college life. Since many of the girls are the first generation to attend college, such help often isn’t available from home. In addition, many of the girls come from heartbreaking family backgrounds, and the presence of a mentor in their lives is critical.

Mentors are recruited, encouraged and supported by experienced Committee members, all remotely. Mentors maintain contact with their fairy goddaughters by text, email, snail mail, and/or video conferencing. Here is a picture of mentors of the 2020-21 academic year.

Since the program began in 1997, the Fairy Godmothers have awarded almost 400 scholarships. The Program is funded entirely by donations. It operates under the umbrella of the RVM Foundation’s 501(c)3 tax status. Each girl receives a sizeable scholarship of $5000 per year. While they are attending college, the girls are monitored to ensure that they maintain the standards that qualify them for ongoing scholarship support.

In the past, a Donor Celebration was held each year, to which new Manor residents and previous donors were invited. At the late afternoon gathering, scholarship recipients spoke about how the program has affected their lives. Moved by what they heard, Manor residents and members of the community have responded with generous donations. This year, a “Have a Heart” campaign is being conducted by mail, with written testimonials rather than speeches.

Here is one such testimonial, from Julissa:

“The Fairy Godmother Scholarship means that as a first-generation student, I have the opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a Registered Nurse. I have a strong group of women who believe in me as an individual and as a student, and I have an amazing mentor, — , who is always there to answer questions and check up on me. The Fairy Godmother Scholarship means that I have wonderful women who believe in my overall goal to help our community.”

Haily wrote, “I am so appreciative to have received this award towards helping me achieve my goal to become the first college graduate in my family. . . I am so excited to start the next chapter in my life with the help of my mentor.  I am so grateful for this scholarship and your faith in me.”

The Fairy Godmothers’ lives are enriched by sharing in the lives of aspiring local girls, providing them with new opportunities during this time of challenges and change.