Ray Scholarships available to local students

The David L. and Francis G. Ray Scholarship is now available for students in the local school districts. To apply for the scholarship, students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, and applications are due by April 1.

Gerald Ray’s family roots run deep in Ralston and its surrounding communities. His parents, David L. and Frances G. Ray, owned a small farm in Washtucna. They also owned a grocery store there, and another one in Ralston, next to the Ralston Grange Hall. Jerry Ray was born in the back of that grocery store in 1935, and attended school at the two-room schoolhouse in Ralston.

This year the scholarships will be limited to students attending Lind-Ritzville, Washtucna or LaCrosse high schools, or homeschooled students living within those school districts, as well as to the Grange members or lineal descendents. This is in order to better carry out Ray’s legacy of supporting students from the area that was an important part of his family’s history.

Since 2002, when the fund was established, it has granted out more than $40,000 to deserving students. A committee of volunteers from the Ralston and Rimrock Granges determine the awards. In previous years, the eligibility guidelines allowed for students from a broader geographic region to apply.

The strong sense of community that grew from Ray’s childhood is one reason why he established the David L. and Frances G. Ray Scholarship fund at Inland Northwest Community Foundation (INWCF) to benefit high school seniors at Lind-Ritzville, Washtucna and LaCrosse high schools. Because he also wanted to generate interest in the local Granges, students who are members – or descendants of members – of either the Ralston or Rimrock Granges, regardless of what high school they attend, are also eligible to apply.

Complete eligibility information and the scholarship application are available on the Inland Northwest Community Foundation website, http://inwcf.org, or by calling INWCF at 509-624-2606.