Pine-Richland graduate earns Passavant scholarship

Passavant Memorial Homes Foundation announces the recipient of its 2022 Community Service Scholarship.

Norah Carter of Pine-Richland High School was presented with a check for $10,000 to be applied to her college tuition.

The scholarship was created to honor the memory of Jamie Ellenberger, an individual served by Passavant Memorial Homes Family of Services who was an active member in the community. The principle of community is central to the organization’s mission to empower individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism and behavioral health needs to live successfully in the community.

The foundation aimed to award the scholarship to a student in the region who brings that same understanding of the value of community service.

Carter has led initiatives to support Operation Christmas Child, collected more than 800 canned goods and 150 coats for local charities, and raised over $5,000 for Riding for the Handicapped of Western Pennsylvania.

During the covid-19 pandemic, she developed and facilitated five educational workshops for tweens and teens that focused on resilience, healthy behaviors and adaptive coping using the 4-H Thoughts Matter and Health Rocks curricula.

As a result of the program, the youth participants articulated that they felt stronger, more confident, and in better control of their lives. Carter’s hope is that they take these skills back to their own communities where they can impact their peers.

In addition to many other examples of community service activities, she has tutored her peers as well as eighth-grade students in her school district. She is a care provider to a student with special needs and serves as the National 4-H Youth Mental Health Ambassador, a role she has held since 2020.

Carter had the opportunity to visit the Passavant Memorial Homes Family of Services corporate office in Marshall and convey to the executive management team her passion for serving others, and her commitment to pursuing a career in which she can influence change in order to facilitate opportunities for individuals with disabilities. She will be attending Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where she will be majoring in philosophy, politics, and economics and global health.

This year, Passavant Memorial Homes Foundation received 118 scholarship applications from students across 19 counties in Pennsylvania. The foundation also awarded $2,500 scholarships to Laneah Hunker from Mt. Pleasant Area High School, who will be attending Waynesburg University, and Christian Cropper from Eden Christian Academy in Ohio Township, who is bound for Hope College in Holland, Mich.