The First Liberty National Bank is announcing the creation of the South Liberty County Scholarship Trust, which will be comprised of a combination of the assets of the Richard C. and Esther Bellamy Educational Trust and the Paul Daniels Scholarship Trust.
The trust department of the bank has served as the trustee of these two very popular scholarship trusts since their inception and both trusts have awarded a combined total of scholarships over the years in excess of $2,900,000. The consolidation will reduce the administrative costs as well as significantly increase the number of students that can further their education.
The new trust was established to continue to benefit the local schools consisting of Liberty High School, Dayton High School, Hardin High School and Hull-Daisetta High School.
Charles McGuire, Chairman of the Board and Trust Officer of the bank, stated that the trust department realized that the scholarship environment and student opportunities has changed since the inception of these two trusts and that a new trust format would better suit the current needs of area students.
Although the scholarships awarded in the past have focused exclusively on assisting students attending four-year colleges or universities, the trust department recognizes the tremendous demand in local industries for graduates of community colleges that provide certification in specific fields.
The bank has consulted with administrators from the local high schools as well as those from Lee College, which maintains campuses in Baytown and Liberty, to determine how best to foster the post-secondary education in our area.
One such program that exists today is the possibility for area seniors to obtain credit for college level courses while in high school that count toward a four-year degree, and those courses can be attended in the Lee College campus located in Liberty at a fraction of the cost compared to the costs of attending a major university. Although scholarships to four-year programs will still be granted, the number of beneficiaries of this new trust will increase significantly.
Each year, the bank will determine the total amount of scholarships to be awarded and work in conjunction with area schools in making the awards. As in the past, the bank will serve as the trustee for the new trust and, in addition, the bank can now accept donations to the South Liberty County Scholarship Trust which will help preserve the trust balance for generations to come.
Interested students and parents should contact their respective high school superintendent’s office for more information.