On May 18, the GFWC Brandon Service League held its Annual Spring Luncheon at The Chateau in Valrico. At the luncheon, the club awarded three scholarships to three deserving high school seniors. In addition, Shirley Alderman, a charter member of the Brandon Service League, was recognized for five decades of service to the community.
The Brandon Service League has been serving the greater Brandon area for 59 years. Their biggest fundraiser is the Annual Holiday Home Tour held in the early part of December. The monies raised at this event are what funds not only the scholarships, but also grants to local high school art departments and local nonprofits.
The first of the three scholarships, the Claire & Reynolds Bryan Scholarship was awarded to Hannah Haynes, a graduate of Durant High School. Haynes will attend FAU in the fall and pursue a BFA in Theatre. Haynes was president of the Theatre Company at Durant High School and studied at the Patel Conservatory and at the Andi Matheny Studios in St. Petersburg. She has already been an extra in the feature film, I Saw A Man With Yellow Eyes.
Haynes said, “I am very honored to receive this scholarship which is specifically geared towards students who want to pursue a degree in the arts.”
The club awarded two Educators Scholarships. The first went to Bailey Dabney, a graduate of Newsome High School. Dabney will attend HCC and then either UCF or FSU. She wants to become a school psychologist.
Dabney said, “I found out about the scholarship opportunity from my grandparents, and I was so excited to learn that I had been selected.”
The second Educators Scholarship was awarded to Bithia Isidro, a graduate of Durant High School. She wants to become an early childhood educator. She will attend Polk State College and then Florida Southern College.
Isidro said, “Kids are very special to me. My teachers helped me so much when I got here from Mexico.”
When she came to the country, she could not speak English. Her teachers supported her and for this reason, she wants to become a teacher.
All three scholarship recipients have excelled in high school, served many hours of community service and are well rounded young women. For these reasons, they were selected to receive the scholarships from the Brandon Service League.
To learn more about the GFWC Brandon Service League, please visit www.gfcbrandonserviceleague.org.
