February 23, 1997 I received a devastating phone call that literally knocked the air out of, and ripped a part of my life from me.
My baby brother
Weston had hanged himself. He was only 20. For Weston there would be no more of his passions: skiing, hunting, hanging out with friends or going to school. Wow, I never thought I'd include school in a list of things my brother enjoyed.
Struggling with life and especially school from his mid-teens, Weston was bipolar (manic depressive) and taking medication when he could stand it.
He dropped out of Golden High School his sophomore year. One year later, of his own will, amazingly he returned to Golden, was diagnosed with a learning disability and graduated.
Beyond our family's expectations Weston went on to attend Santa Rosa Community College in California where he maintained a 3.4 grade point average. Our family attributes this miracle to the efforts of
Debbie Cooper and
Yossi Martonovich, Golden High School counselors at the time, and the strength and desire Weston was able to find within himself.
In memory of Weston and in celebration of his triumph of overcoming his odds on finishing high school and continuing to higher education, my mother
Joyce Griffiths established the nonprofit
John Weston Frederick Griffiths Scholarship. This scholarship offers Golden High School graduating seniors with a learning disability money to attend technical school, junior college or college.
Why is this scholarship so important? Because students with learning disabilities not only face the challenge of coping with their disability but many are not receiving the assistance required to be successful in life. We hope this scholarship will provide its recipient an incentive or opportunity to continue their education that they might not have had otherwise.
According to the US Department of Education,
2.8 million children in US public schools (or 5 percentof the public school population)
have learning disabilities and receive special education.
Per the National Dropout Prevention Center
38.7 percent of students with a learning disability age 14 and older
dropped out of high school in 2000-2001.
The National Longitudinal Transition Study states that only
14 percent of students with learning disabilities (compared to 53 percentof students in the general population) have
attended a postsecondary school program within two years of leaving high school.
A 2002 study by Ohio Board of Regents showed that
people with a college degree on average earn 80 percent more in their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma.
What is a learning disability?
Per the National Center for Learning Disabilities' (NCLD) Web site: "A learning disability (LD) is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive, process, store and respond to information. The term learning disability is used to describe the seeming unexplained difficulty a person of at least average intelligence has in acquiring basic academic skills. These skills are essential for success at school and work, and for coping with life in general. LD is not a single disorder. It is a term that refers to a group of disorders."
The John Weston Frederick Griffiths Scholarship is my favorite nonprofit not only because it is near and dear to my heart, but because it is not based on grades or academic achievement like most scholarships - but instead recognizes a student's effort to overcome their challenges and encourages them to continue this pursuit.
Since 1999, eight scholarships have been awarded. Applications are available from Golden High School counselors and are due by April 1, 2007. For more information, e-mail
suzihoffer@yahoo.com.
For more information on learning disabilities:
National Center for Learning Disabilities:
www.ncld.org
Learning Disability Online:
www.ldonline.org
Getting Ready for College - A Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities:
www.kidsource.com/Heath/gr.html
For more information on suicide prevention:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
If you are suicidal, call toll-free, 24 hours a day:
1-800-273-TALK (8255).