WS Chronicle

During their monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13, the Clemmons-Lewisville Chamber of Commerce launched a scholarship unlike any other in honor of a young man whose’s life was cut short.

The scholarship is named after a 17-year old student at West Forsyth High School who died from an accidental overdose from a first-time experience with opioids. While reflecting on their son’s life, Brad and Shauna Hunter talked about leaving a legacy in Hunter’s name and how he frequently talked about dreams of becoming a chef or pursing a career in the military or law enforcement.

“Shauna and I never thought one of our children would be memorialized with a scholarship but we’re forever grateful to so many,” Hunter said during the luncheon. “The Mason Hunter Vocational Scholarship will bring positive opportunities to students at West Forsyth for years to come.”

After several discussions with John Golden, board president of the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber, the Mason H. Hunter Vocational Education Scholarship was born. This scholarship is unique: Along with funding to pay for tuition, books, and other tangible needs for school, recipients will also be partnered with a business mentor who will  guide the student’s path to career through encouragement and career coaching.

When discussing the scholarship during the meeting, Golden said the scholarship was one of those things that was just meant to be. He said the scholarship committee and the board is 100 percent committed to continuing the scholarship.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about hope. When you don’t have something to look forward to, a goal to strive toward  or obtain, hope vanishes and that’s often when bad things happen,” Golden said.

Sandi Scannelli, executive director of the Clemmons Community Foundation, said the scholarship is an opportunity for a student to have the full wrap around care of the employer community. She said what’s so cool about that is that it provides students an opportunity to be taken into a peer group of employers right here in their own community.

“I think this scholarship increases our chances of keeping youth here, and that is what makes it so unique,” said Scannelli. “Oftentime employers have problems finding workers with the skills that they need, so to have employers be able to guide the training that is going on, that’s wonderful.”

To kick off things for the scholarship, the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce presented a check in the amount of $12,290 to the Clemmons Community Foundation who manages the chamber. The first recipient of the Mason H. Hunter Vocational Scholarship will be announced in the spring.

For more information on the scholarship visit www.clemmonsfoundation.org.