Subject: Draft news release on Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship awards
From: "Stuart Grant" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, "Suzanne Grant VM Email Contact" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Stuart Grant" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 9 May 2016 17:12:36 +0000

Please let me know what you think.  In particular, Ashley and Hallie are quoted.  Please forward to Jill and Val.  Thanks.
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Winners of First Annual Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship Announced

Two recent Delaware high school graduates recognized for their accomplishments; will be awarded $12,500 in scholarship funds by Delaware-based philanthropic foundation, I Could Do Great Things
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Wilmington, Del. (May 11, 2016) – The I Could Do Great Things Foundation<https://icoulddogreatthings.org/> is pleased to announce two winners of its first annual Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship. The 2016 Scholarship recipients are a pair of high school graduates from Delaware – Sean Dermott of Middletown and Jacob DiSabatino of Wilmington.

Dermott, a graduating senior of Cab Calloway School of the Arts, receives the Scholarship’s Gold Award of $10,000; and DiSabatino, a 2016 graduate of St. Mark’s High School, takes the Silver Award of $2,500. This coming fall, Dermott will be a freshman at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., while DiSabatino will be attending The Citadel in Charleston, S,C.

Named after former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, who passed away last year at age 46, the scholarship was established by the I Could Do Great Things Foundation, an independent Delaware-based philanthropy. The scholarship honors college-bound high school seniors from Delaware “who embody the virtues of Beau Biden, who exhibited qualities of leadership, community, civility, respect, and a strong moral compass.”

The Scholarship selection team, consisting of members of the Biden family, reviewed applications from 140 high school seniors before naming Dermott and DiSabatino to inaugurate the program.

“Sean and Jacob are both accomplished students who have demonstrated academic excellence and first-rate leadership ability, and stood out among the dozens of qualified students who applied,” said selection panelist Hallie Biden, wife of the late Mr. Biden. “We are happy to recognize them as first recipients of the award to help support their studies in college. We envision that they will indeed go on to do great things there and beyond, and carry Beau’s legacy of service and accomplishment.”

Mr. Biden’s sister, Ashley Biden, also part of the selection team, commented: “Both of these graduates are exemplary citizens whom the Scholarship was intended to recognize. Through their personal essays, recommendations and individual interviews, Sean and Jacob have shown their love of academics and learning as well as their commitment to service and helping others.”

Sean Dermott noted in his essay how he had the distinct honor of meeting Beau Biden, who made a presentation at Cab Calloway School several years ago, and remembered being inspired by his “innate goodness.”

Jacob DiSabatino wrote about the charitable campaign he started, called 22in22 – created to raise awareness and raise funds to treat depression among veterans; the name refers to the number of American veterans who reportedly commit suicide on a daily basis. Jacob’s event invites participants to run, swim or engage in some other athletic activity to complete 22 miles in 22 days.  “I was not aware that twenty-two veterans take their lives every day,” he wrote in his essay. “After understanding this reality, I knew that something must be done to save at least one life.”

More on the 2016 Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship recipients:

Sean Dermott - Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship Gold Award

Sean Dermott, of Middletown, Del., is a 2016 graduate of Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington. A National Honor Society member since 2014, Mr. Dermott earned Distinguished Honors at Cab Calloway, graduating with a 4.0 GPA in a curriculum that included 11 Advanced Placement courses.

Sean’s leadership positions at school included his roles as Captain of the Cab Calloway Science Olympiad Team; Principal Cellist of the Cab Calloway’s Chamber Orchestra and High School Orchestra; and French Club President and Co-Treasurer. In 2015, Mr. Dermott was selected as a Delegate to the Delaware Boys’ State, the American Legion sponsored leadership program.

Included among Sean’s honors and awards in high school are: Three years All-State Cello; 2nd place Regional Science Olympiad in Anatomy and Physiology; 3rd place Regional Science Olympiad in Cell Biology; and 5th place Regional Science Olympiad in Genetics. He was one of only a handful of students from though out the state chosen to attend the Delaware Governor’s School for Excellence Instrumental Music Program.

Jacob DiSabatino - Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship Silver Award

Jacob DiSabatino, of Wilmington, Del., is a 2016 graduate of Wilmington-based St. Mark’s High School. Graduating his school with a 3.4 GPA, Jacob was Senior Class President and was active with a number of leadership and volunteer positions, including his role as Chairman of the Blue/Gold Club friendship program (which pairs groups of St. Mark's students with teenage buddies in the community); his attending Delaware Boys’ State; as well as his receiving the Horizon Helps Spirit Award, in recognition for his community service by leading Delaware plumbing and heating company, Horizon Services.

Jacob also started the 22in22<http://donate.stopsoldiersuicide.org/campaigns/955-delaware-runs-to-stop-soldier-suicide> campaign to stop soldier suicide. In conjunction with the nonprofit Stop Soldier Suicide, Jacob led the effort to promote the campaign, which is named after the statistic that each day 22 or more veterans commit suicide. 22in22, a fundraiser that calls for participants to run, swim, or conduct some athletic activity for 22 miles in 22 days, galvanized support for the issue from multitudes of volunteers, including two U.S. Senators, a U.S. Marine Corps general, and Delaware’s Governor. In 2015, 22in22 raised $20,000 in Delaware and $100,000 nationally.

At St. Mark’s, Jacob also excelled in football and track, and was named Captain of St. Mark’s Indoor and Outdoor Track Teams and Captain of the Freshman Football Team. He is the winner of the school’s Iron Man Award and the 12th Man Award (for football); and is winner of its Spartan Strong Award (for football and track).

Details about the Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship can be found on the Foundation’s site at https://icoulddogreatthings.org/scholarships-prizes/<https://icoulddogreatthings.org/scholarships-prizes/>. For additional information about the scholarship program, see below:

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About I Could Do Great Things Foundation

The I Could Do Great Things Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides funding for projects that can improve the life of one individual, one community or the entire world. The Foundation was created with the belief that there are lots of people who could do Great Things if only they had the financial wherewithal to fund those ideas, and the Foundation offers project grants, scholarships and internships to applicants to help them meet their goals. For more information, please visit: https://icoulddogreatthings.org/<https://icoulddogreatthings.org/>

I Could Do Great Things Foundation
PO Box 4406, Greenville, Delaware 19807
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>