Ford Family Foundation provides gift of confidence
As Ford Opportunity Scholarship recipient Jennifer Weston puts it, her life's journey hasn't just been a crooked road -- it's been hit by falling trees, mudslides, and a couple of earthquakes.
Five years ago, an unhealthy relationship forced this young mother to take her two daughters, then ages 2 1/2 and seven months, and leave their home. For five months they moved from house to house while Weston sought healing and ways to put her shattered life back together.
Once in the stability offered by transitional housing, Weston decided to pursue her education. The scholarship she received from the Ford Family Foundation made it possible for her to come to OSU and study Human Development and Family Sciences. Moreover, it provided an invaluable boost of self-confidence.
"Rebuilding my self-esteem from years of verbal abuse has been a journey," Weston said at a recent gathering of Ford scholarship recipients and Ford Family Foundation representatives. "In the times that I feel defeated, when the world piles up on me, the Ford Family Foundation inspires me to keep going, putting one foot in front of the other. I know that people believe in me. They know that I can do this."
The Ford Family Foundation annually awards hundreds of scholarships to students from Oregon and Siskiyou County, Calif. This year alone, 141 scholars from four Ford Family programs are studying at OSU. Since 1994, "the Foundation has invested more than $8.5 million to enable students to attend OSU. This is an extraordinary amount," said Provost Sabah Randhawa.
The Ford family started their foundation out of a desire to contribute to the communities that helped their family-owned business, Roseburg Forest Products Company, thrive. The scholarships are designed not just to benefit students financially, but also to encourage them to give back to society.
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Read more about the Ford Family Foundation
