The Doing Good™ Campaign Announces Winners in First Annual Scholarship Competition

Recipients honored for academic excellence and community service

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Stafford Foundation's Doing Good™ Campaign announced today the winners of its first annual Doing Good™ Scholarship program.  Justine Amos of Topeka, KS; Shannon Esswein of Simi Valley, CA; and Austin Davis of Bellevue, WA will receive scholarships of $25,000, $10,000, and $5,000, respectively, for the 2011-2012 academic school year. The program received over 20,000 applications in this inaugural year.

The National Doing Good™ Campaign Scholarship program will be held annually, with next year's program beginning in Fall 2011. The program is open to students with a high school education or higher; and who are citizens, national or legal permanent residents of the United States. Applicants must have attained a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above, or have earned a General Educational Diploma (GED). Applicants must also be active in their community and making a positive impact in the lives of others.

"The Doing Good™ Campaign considers it an honor to reward these deserving individuals with the chance to pursue their educational dreams and make a bright future their reality," said Earl W. Stafford, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Justine, Shannon and Austin's devotion to academic excellence and having a positive impact in the lives of the underserved serve as perfect examples of the types of young people we look forward to honoring each year."

Justine Amos lived in a rural African village as a Community Health and HIV/AIDS Education Volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps for 27 months.  After completing an MPH at Tulane University's School of Public Health, she'll have the skills, knowledge, and resources that will enable her to make a difference in the lives of HIV-infected or affected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa.  Someday she hopes to be unemployed, her job rendered obsolete by the discovery of an HIV vaccine or a cure for AIDS.  Until that day, she'll use her degree, her dedication to the service of others, and to help create a world in which HIV infects fewer children and AIDS devastates fewer families.

Shannon Esswein has chaired her school's Giving Tree Program and established a program to collect gifts for families that can't afford them during the holidays. Additionally, she has volunteered with Care Packs for Kids by filling backpacks for foster children. Shannon also helped start a school paper and battery recycling program and was founder and president of Eco-Action Club to make the campus and community more eco-friendly.  She plans to major in physiological sciences to become a doctor and do research finding cures for diseases. She is currently involved with Students for Community Outreach Promotion and Education Program. She has initiated a Patient Escort volunteer program at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center and plans to volunteer time providing medical treatment during emergencies or disasters that occur throughout the world.

Austin Davis found that computer science and engineering is a very promising and fast paced field that is especially crucial to our society both now and for the future. Through a software development internship at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he has developed a taste for how software engineering can improve a community. During his internship, Austin has been programming cancer research surveys on mobile devices, specifically the iPhone and iPad. By prototyping innovative software that will allow researchers to conduct surveys directly in participants' homes, he is doing his part to help find new treatments and cures for cancers and diseases that are threatening the health of millions across the globe. His education will equip him with the diverse skills that he will need throughout the rest of his life to assist in solving society's health problems and better the world.

To learn more about the program and next year's application process, visit the campaign's website at www.doinggood.com

About the Doing Good™ Campaign: As part of The Stafford Foundation's People's Project, the Doing Good™ Campaign is dedicated to empowering the underserved to help others and contribute to a world-changing cycle of good. By providing people with the tools, know-how, and inspiration, the campaign aims to encourage people to begin and continue doing good for others. www.doinggood.com

About The Stafford Foundation: The Stafford Foundation, Inc. is a faith-based nonprofit organization that collaborates with and invests in capacity-building efforts that equip the underserved through programs that provide health, education, training and faith-based mission support. www.thestaffordfoundation.org

SOURCE The Stafford Foundation