PHILANTHROPY:
It’s All AboutYOU In celebration of National Volunteer Month, Hawai‘i Community Foundation recognizes John & Ruth Stepulis for their volunteer efforts to support college students
E
ach spring, volunteers— coming from all walks of life and across the islands— take on a responsibility that is likely to change the life of someone they’ve never met. As scholarship ambassadors for the Hawai‘i
Community Foundation (HCF), they have the difficult task of reviewing applications and making recommendations for scholarship awards from over 200 HCF funds. “It’s not an easy job,” said volunteer Ruth Stepulis, “because there are so many deserving students.”
She and her husband John are two of this year’s 85 scholarship ambassadors that will review the applications, consider the purpose and criteria the donor established for the scholarship, and meet with 3-4 other HCF volunteers on small committees to make their decisions by consensus.
John and Ruth Stepulis at the HCF Scholarship Recognition Dinner
“Scholarship ambassadors— which include community members, educators, and past scholarship recipients— play an invaluable role in helping Hawai‘i students achieve their dreams,” according to Eri La‘a, HCF Senior Scholarships Officer. John and Ruth Stepulis understand first-hand the impact that education can have on an individual’s future; both received army scholarships to pursue their undergraduate degrees at the University of Maryland and
Volunteering is both fun and meaningful. It feels good to help people. Ruth Stepulis
masters’ degrees in nursing from Vanderbilt University. Ruth also saw the real-world impact of financial aid when she sat on the distribution committee for the Margaret Jones Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund, which continues today as one of HCF’s funds. “Not only do scholarships change the lives of individuals who receive them, they also allow donors to see the good that their dollars do,” said John Stepulis, who joined his wife as a volunteer scholarship ambassador six years ago. Eventually, the two will continue their legacy of giving by directing their assets in their will to set up a fund at HCF to support nursing students. “Instead of feeling like our donations are going into a dark hole,” John said, “we now know what will be done with our money.” Though no longer practicing nurses, John and Ruth Stepulis continue to care for people who need help.
> Did you know: In 2015, HCF received over 3,400 completed applications and awarded $4.7 million scholarships to more than 1,400 students.
L e a r n h o w i t ’s a b o ut you - H awaiiC ommunityFoundation . org/you