CAM awards two local scholarships each year -- the Stephanie Alexis Gach scholarship and the David F. Mann scholarship. The awards are based on essays submitted by folks in our geographic area who are attending or planning to attend college next year.
CAM first awarded a single, unnamed scholarship in 1986 following our first Regional Gathering with Missy McCamy Phillips as Scholarship Chairperson. Prior to this our local group had participated in the Mensa® Education and Research Foundation’s annual scholarship program, but we had no local funds available with which to sponsor a local scholarship.
We named our first local scholarship for Stephanie Gach, daughter of local member Mary Kate Gach, after Stephanie’s untimely death. The 1997 Southern Comforts Annual Gathering provided funding to ensure that we would be able to award not one, but two local scholarships. Our second local scholarship was named for David Mann, beloved Regional Vice Chairman of Region 5, in 2000 after we were shocked by David’s death at the Philadelphia Annual Gathering.
Currently we award two $500 scholarships each year. Local winners are forwarded to regional and national competitions so participants have the opportunity to win additional scholarships on those levels.