The Lynchburg Police Foundation is pleased to announce it has awarded five educational scholarships to five students whose parent is an employee of the Lynchburg Police Department. The awards, a total of $4,500, is the first to be distributed under the recently announced We Care Program, designed to support Lynchburg Police Officers and Professional Staff on a personal level.

A thousand dollars each was awarded to four students pursuing their higher education and a $500 scholarship was given to a local high school student who was selected to attend Virginia Girl’s State at Longwood University, a leadership in government program hosted by the American Legion.

The Joseph Rice, Jr. Memorial Scholarship was awarded to a high school graduate who will attend vocational school with a focus on welding. This scholarship is named in honor of the spouse of an LPF board member who passed away early in 2023. The scholarship is earmarked for a student attending a trade school education. The student is attending Central Virginia Community College.

Of the three other scholars, one is majoring in graphic design and is a current student at Liberty University. Another student will be attending Wake Forest University in the fall of 2023 seeking a degree in pre-med. The third student will pursue a nursing degree and will begin studies at Central Virginia Community College followed by Lynchburg General School of Nursing or Liberty University.

“As a board, we could not be prouder to be in a position to offer these scholarships to such deserving young people,” said Eugene Wingfield, President of LPF. “Education is an important component of our mission and what better way to recognize the officers and professional staff of the Lynchburg Police Department than to support their children and grandchildren as they continue their education.”

The scholarships are made possible through the generous donations made to the Foundation. Plans are to further grow the scholarship program in the years to come.