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APRIL 11, 2015 - Scholarship Presentation and Benefit Dinner Dance
2010 Scholarship Recipient Comments
Good evening.
I am honored to be here. All of you are extremely special to me. While I never had the privilege of meeting Kevin, I know that he left a meaningful impression on everyone he met; his commitment to organizations and to other people was great, and has inspired much of what I have become. Tonight I’d like to talk about how your support and Kevin’s inspiration perpetuates beyond the winners of this scholarship.
When I stood before you five years ago to accept this prestigious award, I never could have guessed where I would be today. Because of this scholarship, I was lucky enough to graduate debt-free, and I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for this. Graduating debt-free allowed me to accept an AmeriCorps internship in San Francisco. I am spending the year working for an environmental education program through the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks. Our program, called the Youth Stewardship Program, provides students all over San Francisco with a series of free field trips to parks within walking distance of their school. I teach hands-on lessons for 2nd-12th grade about topics such as ecosystems, plant and animal adaptations, urban gardening, and habitat restoration. For kids who rarely get a chance to explore outside, this is huge. For me, playing in the dirt with kids every day is the best job in the world!
My motivation to work in environmental education developed over time. As a kid, I was lucky enough to go on exciting hikes and ski trips with my family. Feeling the rush of alpine air from the summit of a mountain served as an important form of learning for me. My decade-long dedication to Camp Hazen YMCA fueled my love for outdoor adventure and passed it on to kids at summer camp. Before matriculating at Tufts in 2010, I jumped at an opportunity to get involved that would change my life – and accelerate my path towards environmental education. The freshman pre-orientation program I went on the week before school started was a 5-day canoe trip. That trip provided a community for me in college, developed my thirst for adventure, and introduced me to nine new best friends. The Tufts Wilderness Orientation connected me to people on the Ski Team, Mountain Club, and youth service opportunities that became pivotal in my college career. The following three years, after finishing my summer job at Camp Hazen, I volunteered a few weeks at the end of August to lead trips for incoming Tufts freshmen. During my senior year and throughout the following summer, the University hired me to coordinate the entire 2014 Wilderness Orientation program. These formative experiences in outdoor programming laid the foundation for my future in environmental education.
My favorite part about what I do in San Francisco now is that it’s free for participating schools. This means that urban students, often from low-income families, get to expand their education in a different way, in an exciting way, in a way that I believe is so important. Recently, I was working with a group of fifth-grade students, hiking around a park and making observations. After the hike, we brainstormed ways to improve the park, and then worked together on a habitat restoration project. As we were pulling invasive weeds, a girl turned to me and said, “I wish I could get outside more. It’s good for the park AND it’s good for me!”
Getting kids outside, even just a few times over the course of the year, makes a big impact. Research shows that children who spend time outside are healthier, happier, and more focused in school. Giving young people opportunities to give back to their parks instills a sense of service learning and promotes a more sustainable environment. Outdoor education is something I strongly believe in. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work with these students in what is my absolute dream job – an opportunity that would not have been possible without this scholarship and all of you.
At this dinner a few years ago, Mrs. Eidt gave me a wallet-sized photo of Kevin. I’ve kept it with me in my years at school, and since. The photo reminds me that it is important to leave a personal, meaningful impact on my community. Throughout high school and college, Kevin’s legacy inspired me to live a life of charisma, kindness, and value. Now, that spirit encourages me to leave a positive impact every day on my students in San Francisco.
To the selection committee – thank you for believing in me. Your encouragement has allowed me to follow my dreams. To the contributors to the Fund – thank you for your support that reaches well beyond the winners of these awards. The ripple effect of your generosity spreads across students, families, and communities across the country. To the Eidt family – thank you for sharing Kevin’s love. To my own family – thank you for instilling my sense of adventure, for allowing me to move to California, and for always pushing me to achieve higher goals.
I would also like to thank you all on behalf of my students in San Francisco, and on behalf of the city parks where we work. For every park habitat that we restore, and for every child who discovers a green space in the neighborhood, you deserve credit. As each winner of this scholarship goes on to leave his or her mark, wherever that may be, Kevin’s legacy lives on. Thank you.
Background
The Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship Fund was established through the generosity of the many people Kevin touched in his short life. Kevin, an 18-year-old dean's list freshman in the honors program at Boston College, passed away from cardiac arrest on January 23, 1997 while playing intramural basketball. Kevin set the example of the passion and sincerity we should bring to each day. He was an individual with vision, commitment, abiding hope, aspirations, and compassion. And when we look back, it was a life, albeit a glimpse of life, by which people can be measured and judged by.
Mission
The mission of the Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship Fund is to preserve Kevin's spirit by paying tribute to achievements in academics, athletics, arts, and the virtues of service and faith that were the essence of Kevin's life.
Fund Facts
With 13 scholarships, valued at $164,500, awarded to the class of 2023, Kevin's Fund has provided nearly $2.9 Million in financial support to 235 exemplary young men and women matriculating at over 85 diverse colleges and universities in Kevin's memory. The dramatic growth in scholarship awards is directly related to the financial success of our annual benefit dinner dance, which began in 2000 and funded scholarships for the class of 2001. As a result of this generosity, Kevin's Fund has awarded the following scholarships
To the class of 1997 $3,750 To the class of 1998 $5,000 To the class of 1999 $12,000 To the class of 2000 $13,000 To the class of 2001 $47,000 To the class of 2002 $55,000 To the class of 2003 $70,000 To the class of 2004 $85,000 To the class of 2005 $100,000 To the class of 2006 $111,000 To the class of 2007 $127,000 To the class of 2008 $139,000 To the class of 2009 $140,000 To the class of 2010 $118,000 To the class of 2011 $117,000 To the class of 2012 $115,000 To the class of 2013 $121,000 To the class of 2014 $122,000 To the class of 2015 $124,000 To the class of 2016 $122,250 To the class of 2017 $124,000 To the class of 2018 $127,000 To the class of 2019 $128,000 To the class of 2020 $128,000 To the class of 2021 $126,500 To the class of 2022 $156,000 To the class of 2023 $160,500 To the class of 2024 $164,500
For the 2024 – 2025 academic year, Kevin’s Fund is providing financial support to 14 students matriculating at Berklee College of Music, Boston College (2), College of William & Mary, Columbia (2), The George Washington University, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, Stanford, Temple, UConn, Univerisity of Wisconsin, and UMass-Amherst.
| Scholarship Fund Accomplishments as of June 30, 2023 | |
| Recipients | 235 |
| Awards | $2,864,500 |
| Funding as % of Contributions | 99.5% |