OHHS / CHS Alumni Give Back
The first Alumni Association scholarships were awarded in 1986; there were three for $1,000 each. In ensuing years, the number of scholarships depended upon donations received that year. Then, in 2003 Mr. Robert Sanger gathered necessary data and completed the paperwork that led to the Oak Hill High/Collins High Alumni Association’s being granted 501 (c)3 status, qualifying as a tax-exempt corporation. From that date, contributions were tax-deductible, and the coffers started filling. Among the first heavy donors were Herbert and Rita Sanger, the family of Robert and Birtie Massey, the family of Zella C. Bishop, and Robert Painter in the name of his sister, Hortense Painter Belding. Those accounts were moved to the Beckley Area Foundation, and interest from them now provides scholarships yearly.
More recently, we have received major gifts totaling nearly a half million dollars from the Linda and Kenneth Morris Foundation as well as a donor who wishes to remain unheralded and anonymous. for generous Marshall University scholarships. In 2024, scholarships totaling $91,000 were granted to 59 students.
We invite all alumni to donate to the association by visiting the Give Back button at the top of this page. It’s easy and it’s a good thing to do.
In the next few weeks, we hope to have a list of all winners, 1986-2024, on this page.