Boy Scouts Occoneechee Council announces 2016 Pope Eagle Scout Scholars

For over ten years, the John William Pope Foundation, led by Chairman and former President Art Pope, has supported a program with the Boy Scouts of America, Occoneechee Council – a group of ten districts in the following North Carolina counties: Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Lee, Moore, Orange, Vance, Wake and Warren.  The program, the Pope Eagle Scout Scholars Program, annually chooses a select group of graduating Eagle Scouts to receive a college scholarship.  In April, five scholars were selected as the 2016 recipients.

From the John William Pope Foundation:

April 28, 2016

RALEIGH, N.C. – The John William Pope Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America Occoneechee Council have announced the 2016 Pope Eagle Scout Scholars.  Five high school students were selected from an applicant pool of over 50. Applicants were required to have completed the rank of ‘Eagle Scout’ and be a current or former member of the Occoneechee Council.

Four of the Pope Eagle Scout Scholars will receive a $20,000 scholarship to be applied towards their post-secondary education.  They are Nicholas Anderson of Wake Forest (Wake Forest High School), Justin Do of Raleigh (Needham B. Broughton High School), Daniel Kunath of Apex (Saint Thomas More Academy), and Collin Thrash of Cary (Ravenscroft School).  A fifth scholar, Vince Friedman of Raleigh (Jesse O. Sanderson High School) was recently selected as a Class of 2020 Morehead-Cain Scholar, so his scholarship will be honorary as the Morehead program covers all college expenses.

“We are very proud of these great young men as representatives of the Scouting program,” said John Akerman, scout executive for the Occoneechee Council.  “The achievement of a young man to earn his Eagle Scout Rank is a testimony to his ability to set a very challenging goal at a young age and work diligently to achieve this pinnacle award for Scouting.  The young men selected to receive the Pope Eagle Scout Scholarship not only achieved in the Scouting program, but in school and other extra-curricular activities as well.”

The late John William Pope, a Raleigh businessman and philanthropist, established the Pope Eagle Scout Scholarship Program in 2001 to support the studies and development of future free enterprise leaders.  The program has continued with an annual $40,000 matching grant from the Pope Foundation.

The Occoneechee Council is the largest Boy Scouts Council in North Carolina and serves over 20,000 scouts each year.  They have served as the only partner for the Pope Foundation’s scholarship program since its inception.

Learn more about the Pope Foundation’s support of the Occoneechee Council.