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Beaman wins annual philanthropy essay contest
ROACHDALE -- In celebration of National Philanthropy Week and volunteerism in Putnam County, an essay contest which highlights individual community involvement supports local charities each year.
After standing out in a final pool of eight students, North Putnam seventh-grader Monroe Beaman was recently announced as the winner of the 2019 Darrell Wiatt Family Philanthropy Essay Contest.
The essay prompt was “The philanthropist I know personally and admire the most.” As such, Beaman highlighted Crystal Strotman, who volunteers with the Two Fish Food Pantry at Bainbridge Christian Church and the Community Servers Extension Club, as well as the Bainbridge Improvement Society.
“To be a philanthropist, you don’t have to be rich or have multiple credentials behind you,” Beaman concluded in her essay. “You just have to have a desire to help, the want to see a positive change in your surroundings and in the future.
“Our community would truly be lacking if we didn’t have someone as valuable as Crystal Strotman amongst us,” she added.
Beaman wrote her essay in Susan Trent’s seventh-grade English and writing class. She, along with Kynndall Willhite, was one of two finalists from North Putnam Middle School, as only two students may be chosen from each school corporation.
Beaman was honored at North Putnam Middle School with a special ceremony on Monday, Nov. 18, with Strotman, Principal Scott Miller and Darrell Wiatt in attendance.
“I was very surprised to have been the winner across the county for the essay contest,” Beaman told the Banner Graphic. “I am very glad I was able to help a local charity that is very dear to me, along with Mrs. Strotman having a chance to be recognized in front of the community for all of her hard work.”
Being given through the Putnam County Community Foundation, Beaman was awarded a $150 grant to go toward a charity or non-profit of her choice which serves the county. She chose to direct this grant to the Putnam County Humane Society.
As part of the contest, the school which the winning student attends also receives an unrestricted grant of $500. Beaman asked that this money be given to the art program at North Putnam Middle School.
The other finalists also received $50 to donate to their non-profit of choice. They included Corey Branigan and Grace Long from Cloverdale Middle School, Noah Couch and Audrey Richardson from South Putnam Middle School and Ty Ishikawa and Ali Dobbs from Greencastle Middle School.
Their charities and non-profit organizations included Beyond Homeless, Mission Takaye, Putnam County Habitat for Humanity, the Putnam County CASA program and the food pantry at New Providence Baptist Church.
The contest was administered by Alan Zerkel, the Foundation’s scholarship committee chair. The contest’s judges represented each of Putnam County’s four school corporations, and the essays themselves were blinded before they were reviewed and scored.
An endowment was established by Wiatt and his wife Cynthia in 2012 to financially support the contest. However, its vision stems back to 2006 when Wiatt and members of the Foundation’s Public Education and Special Events Committee wanted to recognize both National Philanthropy Week and service-inspired youth.
Since the contest began, more than $12,000 in grant money has been awarded in support of charities and non-profit organizations which work in Putnam County.