ERCA is proud to announce the recipients of its 1999-2000 Community Contribution Scholarships. ERCA scholarships are awarded to students who have made a difference in their communities. The winners created and carried out volunteer projects that helped to bring their community together, making their school or neighborhood safer, more welcoming places. ERCA invites you to read more about these Community Contribution Scholarship awardees whose leadership and depth of commitment has already made an impact on their world. The following 25 students have been chosen as the 1999-2000 School Year Winners. Each recipient will received a grant of $1000 to use for college-related expenses.

Sunjay V. Mishra from Freehold Boro High School, Freehold Boro, New Jersey

Sunjay founded a program called Ayudame, in which high school students teach immigrants in their community to speak English. Under his leadership, the program grew from a small program involving four tutors and students to over forty students and tutors. This program has brought two disparate groups together, and has led to the creation of a site in the community for cross-cultural communication and understanding.

Sunjay will attend The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Josh Melendez from Marfa High School, Marfa Texas

Josh created a recycling center at his high school. The center raises money that will be used to provide a scholarship for a graduating senior, and it improves the environment for all Marfa residents. The school's National Honor Society will continue to run the center as a permanent project.

Josh will attend St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.

Mary Adkins from Greenville Senior High School, Greenville, South Carolina

Mary created a seminar program, called A.R.T.S., which brought together volunteer artists and underprivileged elementary children. The eight week seminars were designed to help the students discover their own artistic passions and to learn to use them as healthy, constructive emotional outlets. Mary followed up her seminars with a fund raising benefit that raised $3000 for an arts scholarship fund so that these students can take lessons in their preferred arts.

Mary will attend Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Can Pham from Independence High School, San Jose, California

Can founded an inter school organization of Vietnamese American Youth. The organization enrolls 90 students from San Jose and provides disadvantaged and newly immigrated Vietnamese students with support, guidance and school tutoring. In addition, this organization raises money to sponsor needy children for corrective surgery, to construct a new elementary school in Hue, Vietnam and to provide emergency disaster relief.

Can will attend U.C. Berkeley, in Berkeley, California.

Katharine Giguere from Greenville Sr. High School, Greenville, SC

Katharine organized a project that provides emotional support to children who are living, with their mothers, in a local shelter for victims of domestic violence. She contacted local businesses which donated materials and services to create tote bags for each child who comes into the shelter. Other merchants donated books and toys to put in the bags. She brought together many businesses in the community, an existing women's shelter and the student government and students of her high school. This year, Katharine's project provided totes for approximately 200 children. Plans are in place so that the project will continue next year while Katharine is in college.

Katharine will attend Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina.