Arlington Students Making a Difference: Scholarship and Philanthropy StoriesFinding Strength in Challenges: Tony Young and Zoè Davis
When you talk to Kathy Cameron about her late husband Tony Young, her love and admiration for him is contagious: “If you got to know Tony, you were going to be friends with him for the rest of your life. Everyone wanted to know him and spend time with him.”
Tony spent his life and career advocating for people living with disabilities. After Tony passed in 2015, his wife Kathy Cameron started a scholarship fund with the Community Foundation in his honor, saying, “This would be the perfect way to honor his passion of helping young people with disabilities on their career paths.”
In 2022, Zoè Davis, a Yorktown graduate living with sickle cell anemia, was selected as the Tony Young Memorial Scholarship recipient. After meeting Zoè, Kathy said, “Tony would be so proud of Zoè as the scholarship recipient. She embodies how he lived his life.”
Arlington Youth Philanthropy Initiative: A Year in Review
Written by 2021-2022 AYPI Chair Amina Luvsanchultem
Through the Arlington Youth Philanthropy Initiative (AYPI) I have understood the importance of students becoming involved with philanthropy and growing to be impatient optimists—as youth, we can build a sustainable future, a mission that AYPI constantly strives toward. I am so grateful for my time at AYPI as both a member and Chair and being able to contribute to our goal of nurturing more social leaders within our community.
AYPI has been an unforgettable experience where I had the opportunity to work with motivated and hard-working students from all grade levels. From our work with the first-ever Youth Summit on Philanthropy to funding amazing, youth-led projects including the creation of a mental-health podcast, a new community garden, and so many more, I couldn’t have asked for a better Board of students to collaborate and grow with.
Equity in After-School Programs
It is well-documented that students who participate in after-school activities have higher grades, are more engaged, and are better connected with both the school and the community. But because after-school enrichment programming is fee-based, many families in Arlington County simply cannot afford to enroll their children in these experiences.
Arlington Community Foundation and the Arlington Sports Foundation have teamed up to raise funds to offset the cost of after-school programming in the eight Title 1 elementary schools in Arlington County. Title 1 schools have a high number of students receiving free or reduced lunch, which is a generally accepted measure of poverty levels, and in these eight schools, free or reduced lunch is offered to at least half the student population.
Celebrating This Year’s Scholarships
In 2022, Arlington Community Foundation awarded new college scholarships totaling nearly $600,000 to 92 students who will attend college next year. An additional 116 scholarships were given to renewal students.
On Monday, June 6, scholarship recipients were celebrated at an in-person awards ceremony and reception at Kenmore Middle School. Many of the funders and supporters of the scholarships also attended the event where they were able to meet and connect with their scholarship recipient(s) for the first time.