The Carson Scholars Fund was founded in 1994 by world-renowned Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin S. Carson and his wife, Candy. The vision for the Carson Scholars Fund came from the Carsons observation that many school display cases were filled with large trophies paying tribute to their teams sports' achievements, while honor students traditionally received a pin or certificate. Then, after reading a research study stating that students in the United States ranked 21 out of 22 countries – next to the bottom of the list – in science and math, the Carsons felt alarmed and compelled to take action.
The crisis needed to be addressed. The concept was simple, yet unique. Students in grades 4-11 who had at least a 3.75 grade point average and demonstrated strong humanitarian qualities would be recommended by school officials to apply for $1,000 scholarships. If a student won a scholarship, it would be invested for his or her college education until graduation from high school and they would be designated as a Carson Scholar. Winners could reapply annually as long as they maintained their GPA. The awards would be paid directly to the four-year accredited institution of higher learning, on their behalf.
As the organization grew, the Carsons established a second program in 2000, the Ben Carson Reading Project. In his autobiography, Gifted Hands, Dr. Carson wrote about how his life was changed once he embraced reading. Recognizing the need to create warm and inviting places to learn the joys of independent reading, the Ben Carson Reading Project established reading rooms within schools. The reading rooms provide a friendly atmosphere where students, educators, and community members can come together and embrace reading activities. Each room is colorfully decorated and promotes Dr. Carson’s “THINK BIG” philosophy. Students within reading room schools can earn rewards for their improvement in reading level, the number of books read, or the number of minutes spent reading.
