The MaryEllen Locher Scholarship Fund at CHI Memorial Foundation is accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year.
The MELSF awards scholarships to children who have either lost a parent to breast cancer, have a parent who is currently undergoing treatment for the disease, or have a parent who is a breast cancer survivor. Applications are available at maryellen locher scholarship fund.grants platform.com.
Current college students or high school seniors within a 50-mile radius of Chattanooga are eligible to apply. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Recipients will be announced in spring 2024.
The MaryEllen Locher Scholarship Fund was founded as an independent nonprofit in 2002 by MaryEllen Locher, a long-time news anchor and health reporter for WTVC in Chattanooga, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2005. The fund has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to nearly 600 students since its inception. The awards are designed to ease the emotional and financial burdens faced by families dealing with breast cancer.
Funds for scholarships are raised through special events, individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and private grants. Many local and regional high school sports teams have organized Pink Out fundraisers to honor/recognize breast cancer patients. Funds generated from these events are donated to the MaryEllen Locher Scholarship Fund.
Schools that have sponsored Pink Out events in previous years include Ooltewah, Soddy-Daisy, Lookout Valley, Hixson, Cleveland, and Notre Dame high schools, Tyner Academy, Baylor School, and Silverdale Baptist Academy. To schedule an event, reach out to Jamy Beal with CHI Memorial Foundation at (423) 495-4438 or jamy.beal@commonspirit.org.
In addition, the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center offers Mel’s Club, a breast health awareness and education program for female teens and college students. Mel’s Club educates students in three key areas: myths and misconceptions about breast cancer, prevention and detection of the disease, and how to do a breast self-exam. To schedule a Mel’s Club presentation, reach out to Brittany Hennessee, CHI Memorial breast services director, at (423) 495-6744 or brittany.hennessee@commonspirit.org.
The CHI Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all contributions made to the MaryEllen Locher Scholarship Fund are tax-deductible. Online donations to the MaryEllen Locher Scholarship Fund can be made at SupportMemorialFoundation.org/donate. Checks can be mailed to CHI Memorial Foundation, 2525 de Sales Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404. Please make a notation on the memo line to direct the funds to the MaryEllen Locher Scholarship Fund