Enhancing Westland's civic, educational, and cultural communities.
We're proud to support our community's students and their educational endeavors by offering numerous scholarships. Our program includes financial aid opportunities for students of all ages who are at different stages in their educational pursuits, as well as a number of different areas of study.
Our online scholarship application opens in early January and remains open until mid-March. Scholarships recipients are notified in late April; and funds are sent directly to schools for the fall semester.
A description of each scholarship offered through the Westland Community Foundation is listed below.
Ron was a 1978 graduate of Wayne Memorial High School. He was the Captain of the Cross Country and Track teams. In fact he was part of the team that holds the record for the 4 x 800 m track relay. He earned 12 varsity letters and was twice named to the All-Regional NCAA Great Lakes Cross Country team and earned 10 track all conference citations in the GLIAC. Throughout his high school years, Ron was coached by Ernie Righetti, a man who greatly impacted his future. Coach Righetti helped Ron to earn a full-ride scholarship to Wayne State University, thereby setting Ron on a course to earn a college degree. Ron earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from WSU in 1984, and worked for the American Lung Association of Southeast Michigan and the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan early in his career. Ron was also pursuing ordination as a deacon in the Catholic Church for the Diocese of Lansing.
Ron died in December 2020 at the age of 61, after battling the COVID-19 virus for almost three weeks.
These words tell you about Ron, but they don’t do him justice. He was a unique and much-admired person. Family was foremost to Ron, as was his faith and service to his community. He loved holidays, was a great Halloween pumpkin carver, could quote lines and dialogue from tons of movies, could kick a 35-yard field goal, and loved the Detroit Tigers. His sense of humor and playfulness were his greatest assets.
But the thing you should know about Ron is that he overcame great difficulties as a young person by keeping a vision in his mind for a better future for himself. He worked hard to make that vision a reality. It is because of that drive to make a better life for himself that his family has created this scholarship. Their sincere hope is that the applicants have such a vision and desire to create their better future.
This scholarship opportunity is open to all graduating seniors of Wayne Memorial High School, Wayne, Michigan, who have involvement in the Cross Country and/or Track team and are a student in good standing.
Westland Community Foundation Scholarship program for Westland students with a financial need.
We're proud to support our community's students and their educational endeavors by offering numerous scholarships.