Neighbor News
North Fork Breast Health Coalition Initiates Scholarship Program
Assistance with higher education for local seniors who have had a parent or guardian diagnosed with breast cancer.
During this season of giving, the North Fork Breast Health Coalition is pleased to announce a new scholarship program to help support local high school seniors who have had a parent or guardian diagnosed with breast cancer. The non-profit organization seeks to assist such students with the costs of their education beyond high school. To be eligible, students must live in the area and attend Riverhead, Mattituck, Southold, Greenport or Shelter Island high schools.
The scholarship application and accompanying instructions can be printed or downloaded from www.northforkbreasthealth.org/grants. In addition to completing and signing the one-page agreement form, each student must submit an essay describing the impact of breast cancer on his or her life. This should include how the experience may have affected the student’s activities, interests or career choices; as well as how obtaining a degree or certificate may impact his or her future. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2021.
“We are very excited about expanding our services with this new scholarship program. This is a chance to help a teenager whose life may have been significantly changed by breast cancer in the immediate family,” said Shannon Reitz, who serves on the NFBHC board of directors and spearheaded the program.
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The North Fork Breast Health Coalition is currently led by President Susan Ruffini. The all-volunteer, nonprofit organization supports local breast-cancer patients with programs such as Helping Hand grants. The group also provides free services such as gentle yoga, which is available through Zoom and tailored to the needs of breast cancer patients and survivors. Once the health crisis has been resolved, additional services such as reflexology, meditation class and massage therapy are expected to resume.
Ann Cotten-DeGrasse and her late husband, Antonio, founded NFBHC in 1998 because they saw a great need for such an organization on the North Fork, where there is an especially high rate of diagnosis of the disease. For more information about the organization or the scholarship program, you may also contact nfbreasthealth@gmail.com.