WEST ORANGE, NJ — In June, for the eighth year in a row, the Shaugers’ Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship was awarded to seniors at West Orange High School on West Orange Senior Awards Night. At this year’s ceremony, which was held on June 2, 18 graduating students received scholarships through the Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship, which Lisa and Donald Shauger founded with the West Orange Scholarship Fund in 2014.
This year’s group was the largest number of students to receive the Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship in a single year. Including this year’s recipients, a total of 79 students have been awarded the Groves Memorial Scholarship to date.
The recipients of the 2022 Groves Memorial Scholarship were Brian Anim-Sackey, Taylor Brown, Austin Cowley, Michael Delaney, Emma Grasso, Jennifer Guillaume, Alexa Honorat, Abigail Insana, Kaleema James, Camila Jovel, Katharine McCluskey, Onyekachi Nwadiogu, Rhoda Oni, Orlando Rodriguez, Ryan Roldan, Christina Sarkes, Mariana Simpson and Noah Stennett. In total, the students received $15,500 in scholarship funds.
Each year, the Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a group of graduating West Orange students who are dedicated to community service or who demonstrate an interest in the area of law. The scholarship is named in honor of former West Orange Police Officer Timothy Groves, who died in 2013 from cancer.
“Timothy Groves dedicated his life not only to law enforcement, but also to volunteering and helping the local community,” said Lisa Shauger, president and CEO of The Shauger Group. “This scholarship is a testament to him and to the legacy he left behind. We’re so proud to see the Groves Scholarship awarded this year to another remarkable group of young students, knowing that their lives will be forever impacted by the scholarship in his name. Just like Timothy Groves, these students are passionate about serving others. We know they will go on to do amazing things in the world and carry on his wonderful legacy at the same time.”
Students must apply for the Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship; the WOSF committee then chooses the final award recipients based on academic record, financial need and extracurricular involvement. Students qualify for the Groves Memorial Scholarship if they have demonstrated a commitment to service and philanthropy, since Groves was a community-minded individual involved in mentorship programs and other volunteer activities throughout the community. Although not a requirement, Groves Memorial scholars sometimes also fittingly have career plans in the area of law enforcement, criminal justice or a related field.
Impressively, 11 of this year’s Groves Memorial Scholarship recipients also received additional scholarships and awards at the various WOHS end-of-year awards ceremonies.
“It seems like just yesterday that Lisa and I started the scholarship in memory of our friend Timmy Groves,” said Donald Shauger, executive vice president of TSG. “But here we are, eight years later and counting. Not only is the scholarship going strong and continuing to make a difference in students’ lives, but this year it has helped more students in a single year than ever before. We are touched to see the scholarship continue to grow and thrive, as it keeps helping students in financial need and giving them the best educational opportunities possible. While Timmy Groves sadly is no longer with us, his life and legacy continue to make a lasting impact through the scholarship.”
Already thinking ahead to next year, the Shaugers have begun making donations to the Groves Scholarship for next year’s batch of scholarship recipients. The Shaugers donated $1,000 in late June in memory of Frank J. Vogt, a longtime West Orange resident — and former West Orange teacher and administrator — who died June 9.
Donations can be made to the Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship at any time, either by mail or online. Checks can be made payable to the “West Orange Scholarship Fund” with “Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship” in the memo and mailed to West Orange Scholarship Fund, c/o Jim Quinn, 23 Witte Place, West Orange, NJ 07052. Donations can also be made to the WOSF online via PayPal at https://www.woboe.org/scholarshipfund.
Photo and Text Courtesy of Alexandra Gakos
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