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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2020)
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon HENSLEY: Scholarship program boosts Sisters graduates Continued from page 1 so high now,= she said. By all measures, her wishes are coming true. The work that Hensley has poured into establishing, maintaining, and expanding GRO since 2006 has ben- efited hundreds of Sisters High School graduates to achieve their post-high school dreams. The class of 2020 will receive $212,000 dispersed among 57 different gradu- ates. That total is about six times the amount available than when Hensley arrived on the scene. Hensley9s path to making GRO happen began when she moved to Sisters from Salem with her husband, Tim, in 2005, which was in the middle of a population boom in the school district. Her son, Steven, a junior at the time, enrolled at Sisters High School, and Hensley wanted to find a way to be involved, so she signed on with the ASPIRE mentor- ship program as it was just getting underway. One thing led to another, and she began to help another parent volun- teer, Laurie Adams, work on the local scholarships already being offered in Sisters. At that time, there was no orga- nizing body. <Within a short time of arriving in Sisters I rec- ognized the community9s uniqueness in how it sup- ported the schools and thought a more robust PHOTO BY SEEMA HAMID-AMICO Karen Hensley. scholarship program was totally attainable,= Hensley said. <With the growth in population I realized we needed to beef things up.= Hensley, Adams and school leaders approached the Sisters Schools Foundation to find out whether a scholarship pro- gram could become a part of the SSF non-profit, but that idea could not be worked out, so the group decided to create GRO, which formally came into existence as a non-profit on November 10, 2008. Hensley became presi- dent, Adams vice-president, and Karen Lord treasurer in the fledgling organiza- tion. Shortly after, the group changed the lead title to chairperson, rather than pres- ident, according to Hensley. <The title 8president9 just didn9t9 seem to fit,= she said. Hensley stepped down as chair in November 2019, but remains on the board in emeritus status and contin- ues to contribute in many CONGRATULATIONS MICHAELA MILLER Time to put on your “big girl ” hat! 2020 Graduate, California Baptist University Bachelor of Science, Health Science, Summa Cum Laude We are so proud of your accomplishments! Parents: Drs. Kevin & Eden Miller Sister: Lexie Miller Grandparents: Col. John & Kathy Miller, Dorothy Judd Fiancé: Nate Tucker Academic Honors: • Sisters High School Valedictorian 2016 • Sisters High School Athlete of the Year 2016 • CBU Dean’s List 2016-2020 • CBU President’s List 2016-2020 • CBU Division 1 Soccer Coaches Award 2019-2020 • CBU Presidential Scholarship 2016-2020 • Pac West Academic Honors 2016-2018 • WAC Academic All-conference 2018-2019, 2019-2020 • NCAA Division 1 CoSIDA All Academic Honors; Google Cloud District 8 Second Team 2018 practical ways. A number of current board members have been part of GRO for many years and credit Hensley with lead- ing the organization to where it is today. Karen Lord, who knew Hensley from when both women lived in Salem, recalled having lunch with Hensley after both had moved to Sisters. <Karen (Hensley) knew my background as a CPA and asked if I was interested in helping form a non-profit,= she said. <One thing about her is that it is very diffi- cult to say 8no9 to her. Karen Hensley is generous, reliable, gracious and fiercely deter- mined to make a difference in the future for Sisters stu- dents. She is forever modest about her own contributions while making others feel val- ued and recognized.= Another long-time board member, Ann Thompson, said, <My recollection is of the hours and hours 3 actu- ally days 4 we put in, in the early years, judging schol- arships, using all kinds of rubrics to make selections. <We did nearly every- thing, down to cutting out and pasting some of the felt college banners to decorate the Commons for the Senior Celebration. Karen always had a smile and a good word, even under some of those dire conditions,= she said. Lori Larson, another board member said, <Karen is the unsung hero with a heart of gold, instrumental in providing Sisters High School seniors with schol- arship dollars for higher education. Parents in our community should count their blessings for Karen9s passion and vision in support of Sisters kids!= The GRO board voted earlier this year to rename a s c h o l a r s h i p o ff e r e d by the organization the <Karen Hensley Service Scholarship,= according to current board chair Tim Ross. <She certainly deserves to be honored,= he said. As to the future of GRO, Hensley continues to be amazed at the generosity and support the community shows to Sisters9 youth. She visualizes a time when more and more graduates come back and want to contribute to the next generation, and also that families will form trusts which will allow GRO to develop an endowment fund. <Also, considering we are called the Graduate Resource Organization, maybe some- day we will have funds to help adults seeking higher degrees, well after they grad- uated from high school,= she said. Hensley is grateful for all the relationships she has formed over the years with students, school personnel, donors, and her fellow board members. <The board is so talented and dedicated,= she said. <I can9t say enough about them.= Looking back, Hensley has only appreciation for what she has gotten from her investment into the Sisters community. <My philosophy is 8when you give, you receive9, and I have received a lot,= she said. 11 Sisters GRO adds 11 new scholarships By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent Sisters GRO (Graduate Resource Organization), the local non-profit that man- ages dozens of scholarships for graduates of Sisters High School, has announced the addition of numerous new awards for the class of 2020 and beyond. Behind the efforts of Susan Parker and other mem- bers of the GRO board of directors, an additional 11 awards will be available for this year9s senior class. Board members worked together to identify business groups, organizations, and individuals, who looked like natural and viable supporters of new awards. Individuals and families stepped forward to fund the following awards: Lieutenant Chris Salisbury USMC Memorial Scholarship; Rietmann Family Legacy Scholarship; and the Linda Douthit Memorial Scholarship. A number of businesses and groups of profes- sional practitioners also got involved including Sisters Athletic Club; Sisters Coffee Company; Sisters Veterinary Clinic; Hayden Homes (Art); Sisters Country Realtors; and Sisters Festival of Books See SISTERS GRO on page 15 CONGRATULATIONS Brogan Petterson Recipient of the Outlaw Health Professionals Scholarship! Your Care (Deb & Dr. Eric Wattenburg) is proud to partner with Drs. Eden & Kevin Miller for this scholarship. p Best Wishes at Utah Valley University! 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Pl., Ste. 100 Redmond • Open every day yourcaremedical.com TELEMEDICINE C • URGENT G CA CARE • OCCUPATIONAL OCC MEDICINE • X-RAY