Hoover Service Club gives $45,000 in scholarships to 2020 graduates
The Hoover Service Club this year gave out $45,000 worth of scholarships and awards to 13 seniors from Hoover and Spain Park high schools and honored six middle school students for exemplary academic performance and citizenship.
The scholarships and awards were made possible by Hoover Service Club fundraisers and a $2,500 grant from the Jefferson County Commission, said Hope Lawson, who led the club’s scholarship committee with Liz Willoughby.
This year’s scholarship winners from Hoover High School and the institutions they plan to attend are:
- Sophie Griffies, Troy University
- Mehak Javed, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
- Alysha Kanjiyani, University of Southern California
- Camylle Lollar, Auburn University
- Mya Rumph, University of South Alabama
This year’s scholarship winners from Spain Park High School and the institutions they plan to attend are:
- Yamilah Grace Foy, Clark Atlanta University
- Madison Garrett, UAB
- Kaddyjatou Jallow, University of Alabama
- Mariam Saadeh, UAB
- JeTori Samples, University of Alabama
- Trinity Streeter, South Carolina State University
The Service Club also gave out two Margaret Alford community service awards to one student from each high school in honor of their community service. The award is given in honor of a former Service Club member who had a passion for giving back to the community.
This year’s winners for the Margaret Alford Award were Spain Park’s Juan Luis Contreras, who plans to attend Auburn University, and Hoover’s Maria Timberlake, who plans to attend Mississippi State University.
In the past four years, Contreras has worked on projects in the Hoover community and abroad. One of his most memorable projects was organizing a food drive for west Africa in conjunction with Stop Hunger Now. He coordinated an effort with more than 100 volunteers who raised more than $5,000 and packed more than 10,000 meals for people in need.
Contreras has also been a Peer Helper, volunteer reader to first-grade students at Greystone Elementary School, a Spain Park High School ambassador and a translator for students new to Spain Park.
Timberlake’s most memorable project was implementing a program where Hoover High choral students can rent choir uniforms at an affordable cost based on their financial needs instead of purchasing them. Timberlake found the funding and contractor to build the cabinetry to house the uniforms, organized a system for creating an inventory of donated uniforms and collected and washed the uniforms. One of the choir officers will be assigned to manage the program each year to ensure its continuity.
Timberlake also has been a middle school tutor, volunteer teacher assistant at Bluff Park Elementary, a Girl Scout, Hoover High ambassador, Hoover Belle and volunteered with the Rise Against Hunger program.
The Service Club also recognized one student from each of Hoover’s three middle schools for outstanding citizenship and one student from each middle school for outstanding academics.
Middle school students recognized for their citizenship this year were Ethan “Jesse” Wilson of Berry Middle, John Mark Norris for Bumpus Middle and Vivi Shanlever of Simmons Middle.
Middle school students honored for outstanding academics this year were: Evyn Williams of Berry Middle; Phanuelle Manuel of Bumpus Middle and Bradley Shaw of Simmons Middle. The scholarships and awards typically are given out during a luncheon at the Hoover Country Club, but this year’s luncheon was canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Other club members who helped lead in selection of winners this year were Barbara Henry, Peg Mankowich and Marlys Kuehnert.