By Middletown, NY – Through the support and generosity of countless individuals, families and businesses in the SUNY Orange community, the Paul Rickard Memorial Scholarship was able to raise $28,000 in 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paul Rickard Memorial Scholarship was unable to hold its annual golf outing in Spring 2020. The golf outing is a primary driver in funding the scholarship. The loss of this important event compounded with the economic realities of the pandemic left the scholarship committee uncertain of what would be possible in such a difficult year. But in the true spirit of Paul Rickard, the support was steady and unwavering.
The Paul Rickard Memorial Scholarship is committed to providing a scholarship for a men’s basketball player and an Orange County high school graduate. Based on the phenomenal support over the previous three years, the Paul Rickard Memorial Scholarship was able to provide additional assistance to SUNY Orange in this uncertain year by supporting additional athletic scholarships in the 2020-2021 academic year. Paul, would be honored to know that his legacy was able to assist the college during such troubling times.
“The support this year was truly unbelievable,” says Tom Rickard. “2020 was a devastating year for everyone. Our lives were flipped upside down. There is not one person who has not been affected by the pandemic, and to think that people still found a way to support the scholarship makes me speechless. In a year of so much sadness and uncertainty, we have once again been reminded of just how great and resilient our community is.”
The Rickard family would like to express how grateful we are for the support the scholarship has received, especially this year. It is because of the generosity of this community that we can support the students of SUNY Orange in such an impactful way. In particular, we would like to thank Hutchings Insurance Agency and Northwestern Mutual – Park Ave for their dedicated support of the Paul Rickard Memorial Scholarship in such a difficult year.
We look forward to reconnecting with family, friends and alumni at the 2021 Paul Rickard Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing, to be held on Monday June 7th at West Hills Country Club in Middletown, NY.
