Ormond Beach Elks Lodge #2193 held its annual scholarship banquet May 3, honoring high school seniors from four schools and their families with a certificate of recognition and dinner. The lodge awarded a total of $38,500, which included $3,000 in lodge scholarships, $31,500 on behalf of the Florida State Elks Association, and $4,000 on behalf of the Elks National Foundation. Banquet guests included student recipients; parents, grandparents and family members; principals and administrators; Paul Leonard, East Central District ENF Scholarship Chair; and Harold Briley, Vice Mayor of Ormond Beach.

Receiving $1,000 scholarships from the lodge were Tiden Burch and Kaiden Kolis, of Spruce Creek High School, and Xaria McCoy, of Mainland High School. Tiden Burch was also awarded an additional $4,000 Most Valuable Student scholarship from the Elks National Foundation.

Ormond Beach Lodge presented six C. Valentine Bates Memorial HOPE Scholarships on behalf of the Florida State Elks Association. Wyatt Kent and Luke Womack, of Seabreeze High School, and Xaria McCoy each received $7,500. Cole Brown and Kylee Robertson, of Seabreeze High School, and Kaila Bellamy, of Atlantic High School, received $3,000 each. Local students garnered 30% of the Florida State Elks Association’s 21 HOPE scholarships statewide. The HOPE Scholarship is awarded to seniors with an unweighted GPA between 2.3 and 3.59 who have demonstrated leadership in school activities, community service, and citizenship and who have born additional responsibility throughout their high school careers to provide support to siblings or family.

Scholarship recipients pictured with a cake are Xaria McCoy, Wyatt Kent, Tiden Burch, Luke Womack, Kaiden Kolis, Cole Brown and Kaila Bellamy.

Also pictured are Dean Yeager, PDD, East Central District HOPE Scholarship Chair; Joe Pepe, HOPE Scholarship State Chair; Erika Barger, PDD, Lodge Scholarship Chair; HOPE Scholarship recipients, Kaila Bellamy, Xaria McCoy, Cole Brown, Luke Womack, and Wyatt Kent; Joseph Brozyna, Exalted Ruler; and Carl Seibert, PDD, FSEA COO/State Secretary.