Purpose
The Catherine Brooke McGraw Memorial Fund supports need-based financial assistance for first-time campers to attend Camp Alleghany. By doing so, the Fund aims to expand access to the enrichment opportunities for outdoor education and development that Camp Alleghany provides its campers.
The Catherine Brooke McGraw Memorial Fund, established by the Greenbrier Valley Community Fund (GVCF) in 2024, honors Catherine’s love for Camp Alleghany and her wish to help other girls enjoy what made Alleghany so meaningful to her. A loyal Blue, Honor Girl of 1984, JC of 1985, and First-year Tinge of 1986, Catherine embraced camp life for seven summers and then became a proud ‘Ghany parent.
Remembering Catherine Brooke McGraw
An adored mother, educator, and mentor to countless students, Catherine passed away from cancer in 2023. Catherine’s openness, kindness, generosity, and positivity inspired love and admiration wherever she went. Her fun-loving nature, so evident at camp, provided joy to her family and many friends, whom she made easily and kept close for decades. Those qualities, along with her luminous smile, grace, curiosity, and love of the outdoors, embody the best traits of a ‘Ghany Girl. Born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Catherine attended Walt Whitman High School and earned her B.A. from Emory and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Vanderbilt. Catherine’s commitment to school communities propelled her to an accomplished career in secondary and higher education. Her last position was as the Director of College Counseling at the Williston Northampton School, and she served before that at Mt. Holyoke College, Agnes Scott College, Carnegie Mellon University, the Mayan School in Honduras, and Oxford College of Emory University.
Application Deadline
The deadline is December 15, 2024.
Timeline
The Scholarship Committee will review your application and you will hear back from the committee by February 1.
Objective Standards for Eligibility of Catherine Brooke McGraw Memorial Award Recipients
- The applicant will be a first-time camper at Camp Alleghany.
- The applicant is currently in third through eighth grade (so will be a rising fourth through ninth grader in the summer when they plan to attend camp, typically approximately 9 to 14 years old).
- The applicant’s family is unable to otherwise afford sending her to Camp Alleghany, as shown by their submission of income and expense information in the Camp Alleghany Alumni Association Lantern Scholarship Application.
- The applicant appears committed, based on their application, to being a positive contributing member of the community at Camp Alleghany and shows a genuine interest in participating and taking advantage of the enrichment opportunities for outdoor education and development that Camp Alleghany offers.
- The applicant has a family who supports their attendance at Camp Alleghany.
- As part of the application, the applicant has provided a recommendation for participation in Camp Alleghany’s program from a school professional (e.g., teacher, counselor) or other adult who is not a family member (e.g., afterschool program staff member, coach).
- The total amount of financial assistance awarded for any individual recipient may not exceed the cost of attendance and store allowance and portion of transportation minus the amount the family is able to pay for one three-week term.
What is the Difference between the Catherine Brooke McGraw Memorial Fund Awards and the Lantern Scholarship?
- The Catherine Brooke McGraw Memorial Fund awards are for first-time campers with demonstrated financial need.
- The Lantern Scholarship Program gives priority to a camper who attended Alleghany the previous summer (whether scholarship or not).
- The eligibility ages for the Catherine Brooke McGraw Memorial Fund awards and the Lantern Scholarship are different.