Shrewsbury – Former state representative Matthew Beaton recently donated $1,000 to the Shrewsbury Woman’s Club for its Mary Griffin Scholarship Fund.
The funds were raised through the 2014 Annual Beaton Charity Golf Classic Tournament, which Beaton hosted in August 2014. Beaton served as state representative for Shrewsbury and parts of Westborough before stepping down from that position and joining Gov. Charlie Baker’s cabinet as the commonwealth’s secretary of energy and environmental affairs.
Ginny McNamara, the club’s president, said Beaton “caught us by surprise, showing up at our December meeting with a donation.”
“He grew up with Mary Griffin as his next door neighbor and spent many hours at her house and also knew she was passionate about the education of our young people,” McNamara said.
“Upon her passing, as per her request in her will, a sizeable scholarship fund was set up, which over the years (and low CD interest rates) has dwindled, so the SWC was very appreciative of the donation from his charity golf tournament,” she added.
For the 2014-2015 academic year, the club is offering two general scholarships and one Mary Griffin Scholarship ($1,000 each) to graduating high school seniors. High school seniors that are residents of Shrewsbury and are planning to attend an accredited two or four-year college or university as a full-time student are encouraged to apply for one of the three scholarships. Scholarship awards will be presented at the club’s annual meeting in May.
Applications are available in the Guidance Office of participating area high schools. Completed applications must be received by the club’s chair by Sunday, March 15.