Ralph & Mitchell Walker Scholarship

Ralph Walker (1915-2011) & Mitchell Miles Walker (1918-2011) were born and raised on farms about 3 miles apart in the Marysville area of Campbell County, Virginia. They came of age during the Great Depression and married in 1940. Both remembered vividly the hard economic times that characterized their youth. Ralph at one point as a young man sold his personal automobile in order to save his parents' home and farm. Mitchell remembered an endless stream of hoboes coming to her mother's kitchen door for a meal (they lived near a train station with a permanent hobo camp), and that no one was ever turned away hungry. Her mother took steps to feed them and to protect their dignity by allowing them to find some chore to do around the farmstead, even unnecessary ones.

Ralph received minimal formal education, but rose through the ranks at a local textile plant to become a department manager; he had tremendous mechanical aptitude. Mitchell graduated from high school and business college and spent the bulk of her working career in banking. Following their marriage in 1940, they made their home in Altavista, Virginia where they were members of the Lane Memorial United Methodist Church.

After seventy years of marriage, Mitchell and Ralph died one week apart. Their wills provided that the bulk of their estate was to be left to charitable trusts to provide for the educational and housing needs of residents of southern Campbell and northern Pittsylvania Counties, Virginia.

Scholarship Eligibilty Requirements

• First time applicants must be graduating high school seniors with a minimum 2.5 grade point average (GPA).
• College-bound applicants must have scored at or above the 50^th percentile on either the SAT or ACT test.
• Applicant's primary residence must be in either of the Virginia counties of southern Campbell or northern Pittsylvania which includes:
  • Altavista, VA 24517
  • Brookneal, VA 24528
  • Evington, VA 24550
  • Gladys, VA 24554
  • Gretna, VA 24557
  • Hurt, VA 24563
  • Long Island, VA 24569
  • Lynch Island, VA 24571
  • Naruna, VA 24576
  • Pittsville, VA 24169
  • Sandy Level, VA 24161
• Applicants must be well-rounded and of good character.
• Applicants must plan to enroll at an accredited two or four year college or at an accredited professional institution.

Scholarship Information

• Scholarship applications will only be accepted online. The application and all required documents must be completed by April 3, 2023.
• Scholarships are awarded annually and previous recipients must re-apply each year.
• Scholarships may be awarded for no more than 4 consecutive years.
• Scholarships shall be rewarded without regard to whether the applicant received a public, private, or home school education.
• Recipients will be selected without regard to gender, race or religious affiliation.
• Recipients withdrawing from school must immediately notify the foundation in writing. Withdrawal will lead to forfeiture of any remaining scholarship support for that academic year.
• The decision of the scholarship committee in all matters regarding scholarships is final. Advocating for any applicant with any EverBless trustee or staff may result in disqualification.
• Scholarship recipients and non-recipients will be notified no later than June 21, 2023.

Required Scholarship Documents

• A high-resolution jpeg/jpg of the applicant to be used for promotional purposes.
• High School, Vocational School or College Transcript.
• Official SAT or ACT score document (college-bound applicants).
• Page one and two only of the Electronic Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR summarizes the information you submitted on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These pages must include the expected family contribution (EFC) amount.
• A copy of your parent's completed 2021 Federal Income Tax form.

 

We wish you best of luck. Click here to begin the scholarship application process.