Zonta Club announces $20,000 scholarship

The Zonta Club of the Coos Bay Area is pleased to announce that once again applications are open for the Patty J Barton Memorial Scholarship. Patty Barton was a long-time member of the Zonta Club of the Coos Bay Area.

Widowed at 28, Patty was left alone to raise her two daughters. She worked hard to give them a good life, overcoming many challenges. When she passed in 2018, after her courageous battle with cancer, a scholarship fund was established in her name.

This undergraduate scholarship is available to Coos and Curry County residents. This includes students who consider Coos or Curry Counties their home base when away at college. Preference for this scholarship is given to applicants who demonstrate focus and determination in facing significant life challenges from which they are rebuilding. Financial need is also considered. Patty had a passion for providing educational opportunities to women who faced challenges as she once did as a single parent. With the support of her husband Jon Barton, Zonta is able to offer the Patty J Barton Memorial Scholarship for a fifth consecutive year.

The scholarship with the potential to total $20,000 is paid directly to the student’s accredited school of choice for tuition, books and other education related fees & costs. The total award amount will be divided and paid over several qualifying terms of study until fully expended. Application due date is April 15, 2024, with scholarship awarded by May 31, 2024. Application is available now on the club’s website www.zontacoosbayarea.org. The scholarship fund is administered by the Coos Bay Area Zonta Service Foundation. Funds are currently raised from designated contributions and through the club’s fundraising efforts. Nikki Wright of Coos Bay received the first scholarship in 2020, Jasmine Herrera of Coos Bay the second in 2021, Linda Robbins of Myrtle Point the third in 2022 and Courtney Jeffs Coos Bay the fourth in 2023.

For more information or to donate to Zonta visit www.zontacoosbayarea.org.