Haddonfield Rotary Awards $32,500 to 13 Camden Students

Thirteen students walked out of Tavistock Country Club on May 20 with something precious: $2,500 scholarships and the knowledge that their community believes in them.

The Haddonfield Rotary Club Foundation brought together 90 people to celebrate these young scholars, chosen from 32 highly qualified applicants. Foundation chair Denise Stuart said the decision was tough, with every candidate showing strong academics, financial need, and compelling personal stories.

The winners came from six different schools, including Haddonfield Memorial High School, LEAP Academy, Creative Arts High School, Haddon Heights, Urban Promise Academy, and Washington Township. That diversity reflects the Rotary's commitment to supporting students across Camden County, not just their hometown.

Benjamin Osawa, one of nine arts and academic scholarship winners, earned gold and bronze medals in the National German Exam and dedicated himself to the Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project. His German teacher said his love for language and culture is contagious.

"I don't have to worry about finances much," Osawa said in his acceptance speech. "It opens the door to keep growing."

Aidan Green, who received the Joe Baltake Scholarship for the Written Arts, thanked his parents for pushing him to apply. He's headed to Drexel University to study film and television.

"They say it's important to invest in the future, and thank you all for supporting that," Green told the crowd.

Angel Gabriel Lagares received something different: a vocational award with actual tools instead of cash. After completing classes at Pennco Tech, he now works as a mechanic in Cherry Hill and was gifted socket trays to help build his career.

"We don't really come from being born here or we come from another country and every little help that can be given is really good," Lagares said, thanking donors who contributed even single dollars.

The Ripple Effect

This scholarship program started small in 2002, offering just $400 awards exclusively to Haddonfield students. Today, it's grown into a $32,500 program reaching talented young people across six schools and multiple communities. That growth shows what happens when a service organization stays committed to education year after year.

The foundation awarded scholarships in multiple categories, including the Robert Oberholzer Scholarship, the Bill Wallner Scholarship, and the Alice Downs Scholarship. Each one honors a person who believed in young people and left a legacy that keeps giving.

These thirteen students are headed to college with lighter financial burdens and heavier hope, proof that community investment in education creates real pathways to better futures.