Rochester Garden Club Awards Scholarships

The Rochester Garden Club actively encourages environmental education in the community and awards annual college scholarships to promising students.  Since the beginning of the scholarship program more than a decade ago, the club has awarded more than $60,000 to students from the Rochester Community Schools.  This year, the club awarded two scholarships to local graduates who want to pursue college level degrees in environmental studies.

Irelyn Ankenbauer, a Stoney Creek graduate, will attend Michigan State University where she will study environmental sustainability.  Irelyn is the recipient of the Gayle Maurer Memorial Scholarship.  Gayle was well known throughout the Rochester community for her volunteer work and was an active, generous and beloved member of the Rochester Garden Club.  "We are so happy to be able to offer this scholarship to Irelyn, which was made possible from the many memorial donation made to our club in honor of Gayle", said Susan Gerrits, chairman of the Educational Committee for the club. "The Maurer family is honored to have their mother remembered in such a positive manner".

THis year's recipient of the annual renewable award is Rochester High School student Alex Wylie, who will be starting his degree at Oakland Community College this fall, and hopes to springboard to a four-year university in a year or two.  He loves being outdoors and wants to help preserve the natural world.  Environmental science and landscape architecture are his passions.  Club members will support Alex and the recipients from the prior three years throughout their four year undergraduate career.  For more information go to RochesterGardenClub.org.