Foxboro High School Students Receive Jaycees Scholarships

As part of the scholarship application process, all stellar applicants are asked if they had attended any Jaycees events. While many report attending the egg hunt or a concert or two, most admit that they simply had not realized just how involved the Jaycees actually are through so many projects!

Each summer, the Jaycees present their scholarship at the first Concert on the Common which is always the Foxboro High School Jazz Band which this summer was accompanied by the Chorus - it was an amazing performance to kick off the summer series! Since the Jaycees often blend into the background of the great work they actually do, this evening gave everyone an opportunity to see how much the organization recognizes young adults who embody Jaycees’ commitment to service and community.

The first scholarship was presented in honor of long time resident Dave Brown, whose Jaycees journey began in 1985 and lasted almost 40 years. Like all Jaycees, Dave extended his service to other areas, such as town government, helping with the Zoning board and with elections. He is a reminder that we all have a role to play in our community, and it begins by modeling leadership through service in our own backyard.

Foxboro High School graduate Emma Fisler received the scholarship in Dave’s honor.

Emma said that Community service has taught her to lead with empathy, communicate clearly, and stay calm under pressure. Most importantly, she learned that the most meaningful impact comes from helping others.

Emma has led the Easter Egg Hunt on the Common, organized 275 Fruit Baskets for the holiday Foxboro Discretionary Fund, participated in the high school Backpack Project, and volunteered as part of the Founders Day Committee organizing the parade. An excellent student as well as a competitive athlete, Emma imparted important skills to young softball players as a volunteer coach, but also taught them to celebrate small victories, creating an environment in which every player felt valued. Emma plans to infuse those lessons into a life rooted in service, both through continued volunteer work and through the engineering solutions she will create with an engineering education from Union College.

The second scholarship was presented in honor of Fred George, Jr., who in December, 2018, lost his battle to cancer. The Jaycees remember Fred fondly as a loving father with a big heart to his two sons Nathan and Brendan, a wonderful role model who embodied Jaycees values of friendship and compassion. He loved being involved with sports programs and saw athletics as integral to helping young people develop values and character.

This scholarship was presented to Erin O’Malley who will be attending Nursing school at Northeastern University in the honors program. Dedicated student, athlete, musician, and student leader, she prioritized community service, serving as a youth volleyball coach, music camp counselor, and a youth theater stagehand. Her most meaningful service opportunity was teaching religious education classes for 2 years to 7th and 8th graders at St. Mary’s Parish in Foxboro. She served as the FHS National Honors Society Community Service Coordinator, founded the Student Alliance on Mental Health at Foxboro High, completed service projects for members of the Doolittle Nursing home, Maples Alliance nursing home, and students at Foxboro High and Ahern Middle School, and participated in annual events like the Rodman Ride for Kids, World Culture Night, and the Foxboro Community Warriors Gingerbread House Event.

We are so proud of Emma and Erin as they embark upon the next chapter of their academic journeys!