The Lincoln County Republican Committee (LCRC) held their monthly business meeting at the Newcastle Community Center on May 24 to determine the amount of the 2017 distribution of the Helen Weston Scholarship Award, which is administered and presented by the Committee. After discussion, the Committee approved $1,000 for awards this year. In a related matter, Dawn Gilbert, was elected to fill a vacant position on the board that administers the selection and award process.

Helen Weston was the first woman to serve as a Lincoln County Commissioner. She died while serving in office. Her husband, George Weston, established a scholarship fund in her memory and started giving awards of the interest monies in 1991. The award is given to a deserving student from Lincoln County who shows an interest in government and/or [olitics. Students residing in Lincoln County attending Boothbay Region High School, Coastal Christian School, Lincoln Academy, Medomak Valley High School, MSAD 40, Wiscasset High School and Wiscasset Christian Academy may apply for consideration.

The Helen Weston Scholarship Fund has been under the stewardship of the LCRC with an elected board serving to represent the secondary schools of Lincoln County continuously since 1991. Since the fund’s inception, LCRC has awarded fourteen scholarships to deserving students of Lincoln County. With the recent market resurgence, the fund’s performance presented an opportunity for awards after several years of slow growth. Applications received from qualifying students are under review at this time with winners to be announced soon.