MELISSA LEGARE BROWN
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Melissa Legare Brown, a Boon Project supporter from the very beginning, a Boon Project Board Member for many years, and a loyal loving friend to many in our organization, unexpectedly passed away on October 23, 2020.
In addition to her dedicated service and support to The Boon Project's mission of serving young adults fighting cancer, she was also an educator in the Charleston area who had a strong and lasting impact on her students with her creativity and passion for education.
For these reasons, The Boon Project, along with funds lovingly given in her memory by friends and family and a generous gift from her parents, Dan and Gloria Legare, has established the Melissa Legare Brown Memorial Scholarship in her honor.
The annual scholarship given through The Boon Project benefits a young adult who has faced cancer or a child of a parent who faced cancer as a young adult around the Lowcountry to pursue further education or career training after completing high school.
At our 7th Annual Gala and Auction on March 15, we recognized and awarded two deserving local young adult cancer survivors with scholarships from our Melissa Legare Brown Memorial scholarship fund.
Elizabeth Glander, 23, our first-place recipient, will return to Clemson University in the Fall. She took a leave of absence for two years as she faced cancer. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at age 21. She says, "Young adult cancer impacted my life in many ways. It has changed my body, my mentality, and it threw me off course of where my life was going to be." Elizabeth plans to finish her degree in education and become an elementary educator.
LaTonya Jordan, 38, our second-place recipient, will use her scholarship towards the fusion cyber program at Denmark Technical College. She currently holds a Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice and was attending cybersecurity classes when she was diagnosed just last year with Stage 3 Breast cancer. She hopes to rejoin the classes this Fall and complete the 24-week program to help attain her SEC+ certificate and reach her dream of becoming a Cyber Analyst.
To give a gift to The Boon Project's Melissa Legare Brown Memorial Scholarship fund click here and add a comment specifying that you would like your gift to be in support of the scholarship. You could also send a check to The Boon Project, 149 Fall Creek Blvd, Summerville, SC 29483 specifying the gift to the Melissa Legare Brown Memorial Scholarship fund.
Scholarship Recipients:
2024: Elizabeth Glander, Clemson University &
LaTonya Jordan, Denmark Technical College
2023: Drake Pugh, USC Beaufort
2022: Faith McLeod, Coker University
2021: Emma Black, Clemson University Graduate School
Melissa Legare Brown, her husband Kyle, and original "Boonie" Susan at Boon Project events through the years,
First-place scholarship recipient, Elizabeth Glander, and second-place scholarship recipient, LaTonya Jordan, pictured with Mr. and Mrs. Legare at the 7th Annual Boon Gala and Auction on March 15, 2024.
