from the Harness Horse Youth Foundation

Westfield, IN — The Harness Horse Youth Foundation has named five worthy students as its 2014 scholarship recipients.

The $2,500 Curt Greene Memorial Scholarship went to Maja Bown of West Orange, N.J. She is a freshman at the University of New Hampshire where she is studying Nutrition and Dietetics. Maja graduated high school with a 3.7 GPA. The scholarship honors the late Curt Greene, who is a member of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame Communicator’s Corner.

Krista Burkhart and Olivia Kimelman each received $750 stipends as co-winners of the Sweet Karen Alumni Scholarship, for students who have participated in HHYF summer programs. Both remain active as HHYF volunteers/representatives at HHYF activities across the country.

Burkhart is a sophomore at SUNY Morrisville, where she is part of the Equine Racing and Management bachelor’s program. She is a native of Rome, N.Y. Kimelman calls Wallkill, N.Y., home but is a freshman at the University of Kentucky, where she studies Animal Science with an eye toward becoming a veterinarian.

Lyndhurst, N.J.’s John McDermott was named a $15,000 Gallo Blue Chip scholarship recipient, and Guadalupe Diaz earned a $5,000 Gallo Blue Chip award.

McDermott is a freshman in Business Administration at the University of Florida. Diaz, from Middletown, N.Y., is a junior at Stony Brook University, studying Chemical and Molecular Engineering.

The Gallo Blue Chip Scholarship is sponsored by Martin Scharf to honor his pacer, who retired as the richest sidewheeler in harness racing history.

The Harness Horse Youth Foundation sponsors and administers several scholarships and also offers a clearing house of equine-related scholarships. For more information, or to have your organization’s scholarship listed, contact Executive Director Ellen Taylor, ellen@hhyf.org, or go to www.hhyf.org/hhyf-scholarships.

HHYF is a charitable 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing young people and their families educational opportunities with harness horses, in order to foster the next generation of participants and fans. The Foundation has been making a difference in young people’s lives since 1976, and its programs include interactive learning experiences with these versatile animals, scholarship programs, and creation and distribution of educational materials.

For more information on opportunities through HHYF, or to support its mission, go to www.hhyf.org.