Ben Crump Law PLLC nationally renowned personal injury and civil rights firm, awarded its 2021 Ben Crump Community Leadership Scholarship to Erin McManus, 19, a first-year student at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Miss McManus will receive $2500 to help with her studies.
Ben Crump established this scholarship to help students financially, but also to invest in tomorrow’s community leaders. As the great U.S. congressman John Lewis wrote in “Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America”: “Every generation leaves behind a legacy. What that legacy will be is determined by the people of that generation. What legacy do you want to leave behind?”
Miss McManus has already left her high school with a legacy. Not satisfied with the Florida requirement of 40 hours of volunteer service to graduate, she racked up 430 hours of community service during her four years at Cypress Bay High School.
Her essay quoted: “In giving, you receive the most.”
In her four high school years, Miss McManus and classmates raised $180,000 for UNICEF, helping children worldwide, one candy sale at a time. She also raised money for Habitat for Humanity. And she was a founding member of the Allergy Awareness Club, founded to raise awareness after a classmate died from an allergic reaction.
She volunteered 100 hours at the Young At Art Museum in Plantation, Fl., assisting in classes for adults and children to learn how to make pottery, paint, and take photographs. She realized early on that students could be helped with computer-assisted tools. She took over the technology while the instructor taught legacy skills.
Miss McManus is the daughter of Vivien and John McManus of Weston, FL.
Miss McManus is also an accomplished musician, studying bass clarinet for seven years and competing in multiple competitions, including the invitation-only Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis.
Miss McManus urges students to embrace mandatory volunteer hours and not consider them a “to-do” list.
Read Miss McManus’s essay here and watch her interview.
Ben Crump Law PLLC gives out its Community Service Scholarship twice a year. The next scholarship deadline is July 15.
For more information on Ben Crump Law PLLC and its scholarship, visit the website.
