Bexley Women’s Club Scholarships Make a Difference

Since 1937 the Bexley Women’s Club Scholarship Program has awarded more than 775 worthy students totaling nearly $400,000, providing a significant impact to students, their families, and the community alike.

For students like Jennifer Hart, a Bexley native and Princeton University chemistry major (where no merit based financial assistance is available), the $500 Helen Scott Hicks Scholarship awarded in 2003 provided her funds for purchasing a computer necessary for college. Jennifer plans to work in cancer advocacy or patient law, and in the summer of 2007 worked for the Director of Government Relations at the James Cancer Hospital.

Wendy Fahey, a Columbus School for Girls alumna and 2006 OSU magna cum laude graduate, worked 20 hours part time each week as a nanny to help pay for her college costs. The $500 BWC Scholarship awarded to her in 2005 helped offset some of the cost of her tuition, which she says really helped her family financially. “I was definitely motivated to apply for scholarships, and need-based scholarships don’t really consider my whole story. That’s why BWC’s scholarship program is so important. Every little bit helps.” Wendy was a student in OSU’s Graduate Entry program, accelerated Masters and RN, and is now a nurse practitioner.

Barbara Packer, who received a $500 BWC scholarship in 2005, didn’t even know that, when she went back to get her undergraduate degree from Capital University at the age of 53, she would be eligible for scholarships. She was encouraged by a friend to apply. “I was on the pay-as-you-go-program and that $500 enabled me to take two classes in one semester, allowing me to receive my degree that much faster.” Barbara now uses her degree in Liberal and Professional Studies in her work as a Director of Food Pantry Services for Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio.

Josh Price, a 2003 Bexley Women’s Club Founder’s Memorial Scholarship recipient, recently stated, “The program is very important. A lot of people think of Bexley as an affluent community, yet there are certain people who, like me, benefit from the scholarship program. Even with a part time job, I would not have been able to stay in school if I did not have the scholarship. Being able to stay in school made a big difference. I hope to be able to donate to the scholarship fund myself sometime soon.”

Ben Almasanu, M.D., was 18 years old and a Bexley High School senior in 1991 when he received a scholarship from the Bexley Women’s Club. At the time he didn’t know if he wanted to be a doctor or a veterinarian. After studying zoology at Ohio State University, he completed his medical studies at Ohio University. In New York City during his residency, he met his wife and persuaded her to return to Columbus with him. Back in Columbus, he began working with economically disadvantaged Latino and Somali patients at Children’s Hospital. Recently, Ben went into private practice and moved with his wife and infant son back to Bexley. He wants to “raise his family in Bexley and reconnect with the community.”