2015-09-30
Thirty-six students are attending college this fall on scholarships provided through the generosity of Jean and Laurence S. DeLynn.
The DeLynn Scholarship, managed by Your Community Foundation (YCF), provides a renewable $5,000 per year grant to high school graduates who are children or grandchildren of current or retired full-time employees of Mylan Pharmaceuticals, living or working in the greater Morgantown area.
Students who stay in school and perform well for four years can receive the full $20,000 amount.
“This is, by far, the largest scholarship fund that we manage,” said Nicholas Austin, president of YCF. “The generosity of the DeLynn family has helped 57 students attend college since the fund was established in 2007. We have made grants that total nearly $500,000 to date, and will be near the $1 million mark by the time this year’s freshmen finish school.”
Students receiving DeLynn grant money this year are: Travis Howard, Anna Reitsma, Marilyn DeSantis, Megan DeBastiani, Taylor Scudiere, Mary Jane Braham, Todd Funkhouser, Makayla Wilkins, Sara Bennett, Jonathon Berry, Brandon Thomas, Madison Muilenburg, Yamini Anantula, Clay Chipps, Jessica Church, Shayla McGhee, Emily Harper, Sydknee Carpenter, Alexandra Brennan, Haleigh Posey.
Also, Jacob Smith, Lucas Mocniak, Dominique Kelley, Brennen McMinn, Rebecca Bennett, TylerMcGee, Haley Martin, Aimee Zorik, Laramie Linn, Jamie DeSantis, Samatha Flowers, Phillip Vincent, Taylor England, Sarah Haller, Andrew Harker and Brandon Armstrong.
The scholarship fund was created in 2007 when Laurence and Jean DeLynn made a $1 million contribution to the Greater Morgantown Community Trust, which is now a part of YCF. The late Laurence DeLynn was a member of the Board of Directors of Mylan Pharmaceuticals for 30 years and was a longtime friend of Mylan co-founder Milan “Mike” Puskar.
He and his wife had been contributors to the Morgantown community for more than 50 years, and to continue this legacy of giving, he and Jean created the scholarship fund. Since her husband’s passing, Jean DeLynn has continued her involvement with the scholarship program and even hosts a brunch every year for present and past scholarship winners.
The original donation and all additional contributions are invested by YCF to increase their value, with net income from those investments used each year to support the scholarship awards. Any individual, business or organization can contribute any amount to the fund in care of YCF, P.O. Box 409, Morgantown, WV 26507.
YCF is a charitable, non-profit organization that encourages, develops and manages endowment funds and uses the net proceeds to support a long list of community programs and scholarships. The foundation manages assets and pledged assets of more than $12 million and administers more than 160 separate funds.
Information about YCF and a description of its endowment funds is available at www.ycfwv.org or by calling (304) 296-3433.