Scholarship honors Ron Register

Attending college is an opportunity for students to expand their horizons, discover and develop their strengths, and make a path to achieve their dreams. Advanced education, however, is too often a financial difficulty that denies many motivated, gifted and capable students the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.

This lack of equal access to college inspired the Black Caucus of Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian, to propose and implement a college scholarship fund for deserving Cleveland Heights High School graduates. This scholarship honors Ron Register, a church elder and advocate for equity, inclusion, justice, excellence and quality public education for all.

Register retired from 16 years of service on the CH-UH Board of Education in 2017, having served as board president for six terms. In 2014, the Ohio School Boards Association recognized his exemplary service with its Award of Achievement.

The church warmly embraced the caucus' proposal for the Ron Register Scholarship Award and, in April 2018, kicked off fundraising by contributing $5,000 and pledging administrative and mailing costs, ensuring that 100 percent of scholarship contributions would go to deserving students. Members of the congregation and the Heights community contributed to the scholarship fund as well, making it possible for the scholarship committee to provide up to two scholarships of $2,500 each for the next five years to worthy graduating Heights High seniors.

The scholarship committee seeks to keep this scholarship, and Ron Register's name and contributions to our city, alive for at least a generation. To make a tax-deductible contribution, send a check payable to Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian, 3031 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44121. In the memo line of the check, indicate that the contribution is for the Ron Register Scholarship.

Black Caucus Committee members are Forest Hill Church members Doris Allen, Barbara Cloud, Darla Character-Johnson, Vikki Nowak and Diana Woodbridge, and community members Reginald T. Evans and Susie Kaeser.