We are having a Yard Sale fundraiser on April 10th, we are accepting items for donation, or come on by and purchase some goodies. All proceeds go towards the scholarship. Please email info@grotonnewcomers.org to donate items.
For more than 20 years the Groton Area Newcomers and Friends organization has demonstrated a positive role in community service.
The Bic Penn Memorial Scholarship is awarded yearly to a college bound high school senior who resides in either Groton or Dunstable, or a college bound senior who is the child of an active GANF member. We will award the scholarship to a graduating senior who demonstrates how his or her community service has made a positive contribution. To be eligible, the completed application must be postmarked by the deadline and must include a copy of the student's transcript. The deadline for submission is April 13, 2010.
We raise money for our scholarship mainly through our Santa Pictures fundraiser. We also accept donations for the scholarship. If you are interested in donating, or have any questions, please email scholarship@grotonnewcomers.org.
The scholarship application is available at the Groton-Dunstable High School, or you can download the application here.
The scholarship is named for Bic Penn. I asked Diane Penn (his wife) to write something about Bic so that we wouldn't forget the history behind the naming of the scholarship. "He and I joined Newcomers in 1995. He was born in Missouri and went to college in California. He fell in love with the Pacific Ocean and never left California until we came to live in New England. He was a Nuclear Engineer and a Mechanical Engineer by trade. His interests were in community service as well as fishing, mountaineering, scuba diving, white water rafting and kayaking. He worked for the Newcomers in lots of capacities, but those who knew him would most likely remember him in the kitchen doing dishes after the Holiday dinner that we put on for the elders in the town. That was his station along with our son, Nate. He always wanted to help and felt most comfortable in the jobs that were not in the limelight. Bic took to reading all the applications for the scholarship. At that time no one wanted to do that and he would read all of them himself and pick three to show to a couple of other members. One student would then be selected to receive the scholarship. He really loved doing this little task as he got to hear the student’s views on things and felt the pulse of what the young folks were up to. He also worked the parking lot for any event that the Newcomers held and for the road race held in Groton. You could always count on him finding the time to help in whatever capacity was needed. He believed in community service but didn't let the social side of Newcomers slip by him. The members all knew him and liked his easy friendly manner. Not everyone knew the strength of character he had in dealing with his own medical issues. In 1989 he had a heart transplant and we were told that one of the side effects of the strong medications that he had to take was the possibility of getting cancer. That was a dance he was engaged in for the 10 years he managed to stay alive after the transplant. In 1998 it caught up to him and in a very short time (3 months after diagnosis) he ran out of options. He lost his valiant fight as so many do. The club members who knew him asked the club to name the scholarship after him and it has remained that every since. It gives me great pleasure of course. If you choose to keep it in his name I thank you."
