$51,700 in Scholarships for 2025!

The Al Gilless Southaven Rotary Scholarship is for high school seniors in Southaven High School, Northpoint Christian School, and Horn Lake High School through the Southaven Rotary Club. At the time this scholarship was created, Mr. Gilless was the only charter member still active with the Southaven Rotary Club. He created a legacy with a scholarship Endowment that will keep improving his community for generations. “Rotary has been interested in the education of this community since the club was chartered in the 1960s,” Southaven developer Al Gilless said in explaining his charitable investment. “I really think it’s the key to the future.” Mr. Al Gilless passed away in 2023, but this scholarship will keep his memory alive for generations to come. “I’m not a college graduate,” Gilless said, “but I’d like to help the kids who are working really hard to get theirs.” Gilless took advantage of the Community Foundation’s initiative to provide 25% matching funds for all of its scholarship Endowments above $50,000. “I was glad to partner with the Community Foundation,” Gilless said. “I feel like the Community Foundation is doing a good job.” Mr. Gilless passed away in 2023, but his memory will live on for generations to come.

Scholarship benefitting an African American senior at Hernando High School in financial need.

Scholarships for Lake Cormorant High School seniors. In August 2013 Byron Keith Mallett Jr. started school like any other year. He was 13 years old. He attended Lake Cormorant Middle School. He loved his school. He was looked up to and was very popular. He was a Christian boy who loved the Lord and his family. He stood up for other students who were being picked on at school. He would help anyone that needed help. He was a good student with a good heart. He loved Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and the Arkansas Razorbacks. He liked football and baseball. He liked watching Duck Dynasty, playing Wii, and Xbox. He liked going to Dollywood and riding all of the roller coasters. He really liked the Wild Eagle. He was also a talented hunter and fisherman for his age. He wanted to attend Mississippi State to study engineering like his Great-Grandfather. His life was cut short due to an accidental shooting August 22, 2013. He went to be with the Lord that day. He will always be in our hearts and minds, and he is greatly missed by his family and friends. The Byron Keith Mallett Jr. Scholarship Fund has been established to help a student from Lake Cormorant High School go to college and realize their dreams.

The Charles M. George Memorial Scholarship encourages those in the West Tallahatchie School District to pursue higher education. Mr. George was selfless in educating and motivating students, staff, and residents of West Tallahatchie. He devoted his life to a higher cause by helping students recognize their potential and encouraging all to pursue their dreams. Academic achievement was his passion.

The Claude and Edith Kirkpatrick Memorial Scholarship has been set up to recognize an outstanding high school senior in DeSoto County who has an affinity for the arts, is active in their church, and has demonstrated a high quality of academic excellence.

The Desoto County Business Women offer a scholarship each year to a female, non-traditional student at the University of Mississippi DeSoto Center.

To recognize an outstanding senior in DeSoto County, the DeSoto County Prayer Council established the DeSoto County Prayer Council Scholarship, now the Cindy Lipscomb Scholarship. The first scholarship was offered in Spring 2007 and continues to be open to all seniors in DeSoto County Schools each year.

The Hope Scholarship was established in 2017 by an anonymous donor who wanted to make sure his investment helps outstanding Hernando High School graduates attend and graduate from college. 2018 is the first year that this scholarship has been awarded.

The Lions Club of Hernando has a longstanding tradition of supporting education through scholarships. Sharon Walker, a dedicated educator at Oak Grove Elementary, initiated this scholarship out of her passion for learning. She co-founded the district Knowledge Bowl Competition, fostering intellectual growth and confidence among students. Sharon’s commitment to teaching extended beyond the classroom, as she instilled social and success skills through innovative programs like the Stock Market Game and Future Problem Solving. The Sharon Walker Scholarship, awarded annually, seeks to recognize students who embody Sharon’s pioneering spirit and embrace new challenges.

The Hernando Rotary Vaiden Scholarship was started by Katherine C. Vaiden in memory of her beloved husband, Leonard Vaiden, in 1967. As a show of appreciation for Leonard’s Rotary experience and what the club had meant to him, Katherine gave $50,000 to the Rotary Club to establish a scholarship fund in his name.

The Club, chartered in 1987, established an endowment in 2013 which makes scholarships available to deserving high school seniors in the Hernando area.

The Community Foundation, CoroRio, and MidSouth Music Institute is pleased to offer a $500 college scholarship: The Reese and Joelle Norris Service through Music Scholarship. We are grateful to Reese and Joelle Norris for more than ten years of service to CoroRio and the MidSouth Music Institute. Together, they have nearly 50 years of teaching thousands of all ages throughout the MidSouth and across the country. Starting in the Spring of 2024, the scholarship will be awarded each year to a student who is currently involved in CoroRio, plans to pursue a career related to music, and has demonstrated a passion for serving others through music, like Reese and Joelle. Apply now for this prestigious scholarship opportunity.

Sr. Cora Lee Middleton Scholarship is to assist the recipient in the next step of their education. This scholarship is established in her name to assist high school graduates of Tallahatchie or Coahoma County high schools in their next education step.

The scholarship will be available to a qualified candidate at Hernando High School who will attend a two or four-year college with plans to pursue a degree in education.

Dedicated in memory of a beloved friend, actor, director, teacher, and passionate supporter of the performing arts and Kudzu Playhouse. The award recognizes a student who understands the importance of providing a safe, welcoming, and encouraging environment where individuals can explore their artistic interests, and who has actively demonstrated a commitment to enriching and participating in programs that provide them.

Mark Winogrond has established a scholarship in memory of his older brother, Henry “Win” Winogrond, Jr., who passed away in Clarksdale in 2014. The scholarship will help an outstanding graduate of Coahoma Community College to complete a four-year degree at a college of the recipient’s choice.

Win was a lifelong fan of the blues. In Clarksdale, he restored historic buildings as lodging for national and international travelers making pilgrimages to America’s “Home of the Blues”. Win served with distinction in Vietnam and was awarded a Purple Heart as a decorated member of the Special Forces. He continued to assist the U.S. government throughout a long and distinguished career. He traveled to more than 300 counties. Win was buried, with an honor guard, at Arlington National Cemetery.