Archive - 2011

Carson Scholars Fund Office Closed

The Carson Scholars Fund office will be closed from Christmas to New Year’s – December 24th, 2011 through January 1st, 2012.

Please be aware that our responses to phone calls and emails during this time will be slow as our staff members will be spending time with their families. If you have general questions about the organization, please spend some time on our website – we have worked hard to provide as much information here as possible.

Like the Bossa Nova music and subsequent dance craze that wowed Americans in the ‘60s, the Bossa Nova nightclub (literally meaning “new style”) again provided an exciting backdrop for the 8th annual Carson Scholars Fund Pittsburgh Chapter fundraiser.  And again, several Pittsburgh Steelers came out in support for photo ops and autographs. 

As we begin the 2012 scholarship season, we are in need of your help to make it a success!
We are looking for volunteers to help process applications, calculate GPAs, enter data, and grade essays. Each year, we receive nearly 3,000 applications from students from across the country. We would not be able to judge all of these applications without the help of our dedicated volunteers.

Yesterday, we held our first live webinar to answer questions about the scholarship program. We hope it was helpful for those of you who participated!

We realize it is nearly impossible to choose a time for a webinar that would be convenient for all 6,000 schools we work with. For those of you who couldn't make it yesterday, the powerpoint and recording are available online.

Two Ben Carson Reading Rooms opened on December 5, 2011 in Atlanta, GA. One room is in L.O. Kimberly Elementary School, the other is in The Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. The L.O. Kimberly Reading Room was sponsored by Delta Airlines and is decorated with murals representing all parts of America. The Kroc Community Center was sponsored by David and Dorothy Bower and has a celestial theme with stars and planets, teaching kids that “the sky’s the limit.”

The Carson Scholars Fund will be at the Pikesville Barnes & Noble wrapping presents and spreading holiday cheer this Saturday, December 10th, 2011 from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

All donations received at this outreach event directly support the Carson Scholars Fund's educational programs.

For the location of the Pikesville Barnes & Noble, click here.

We’re looking for a dedicated Scholarship and Communications Coordinator to assist with the scholarship program, outreach to our scholars, and to manage communications and marketing. The Scholarship and Communications Coordinator is the voice of the program and is required to handle PR and marketing, execute a social media marketing strategy, and manage scholar and alumni networks in concert with the Scholarship Director. Carson Scholar alumni are encouraged to apply. 

The Carson Scholars Fund honored Mrs. Sonya Carson, Dr. Carson’s mother, on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at the opening of its 65th Ben Carson Reading Room. This room is part of the Enoch Pratt Free Library at 400 Cathedral St. in Baltimore. The Reading Room is the first in Maryland to be located in a public library and features a tribute to Sonya Carson, whom Dr. Carson credits as the person who first helped him to develop a love of reading. It was a day celebrated by many friends and members of the Carson family who attended.

2011 has been a year of celebrations here at the Carson Scholars Fund. We celebrated our 15th Anniversary last spring, and Dr. Carson’s 60th birthday this fall! To celebrate the momentous occasion, we threw our hero two birthday parties. We wanted all of Dr. Carson’s fans to be able to join in the festivities, so we held one party open to the general public for free at Towson Town Center, and an intimate dinner party for family, friends, and esteemed colleagues at the Maryland Science Center.

Ben Carson Reading Room schools usually hold their opening day celebrations during school hours.  Milbrook Elementary School in Pikesville was the exception.  On Thursday evening, November 17, 2011 students, parents, and administrators gathered for the school’s annual “On T.R.A.C.K.