HANCEVILLE – A group of 30 dedicated runners gathered Saturday morning at Wallace State Community College to participate in the third annual Grant Brown Memorial Scholarship 5K. The run is held each year in honor of Grant Brown, who passed away shortly after graduating from Hanceville High School in 2013. The run funds a scholarship for one year’s tuition at Wallace State for a graduating HHS senior.
Savannah Funderburg, a runner and the secretary of Hanceville Elementary School where Grant Brown’s mother, Kim Brown, is principal, was one of the event organizers this year. Kim and Jeff Brown established the scholarship in the fall of 2013 as a way to honor their son’s memory.
“Grant Brown was full of life. He loved traveling, history, Alabama football and spending time with his family and friends,” said Funderburg. “He also loved being a Bulldog from Hanceville High School. Grant graduated from Hanceville in May of 2013. He had plans to travel to Europe and then attend the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. However, Grant never got to live out these dreams. One week after his high school graduation, he passed away.”
Said Funderburg, “Each spring, one deserving Hanceville senior is awarded a one-year full tuition paid scholarship to Wallace State in memory of Grant.”
The run is just one of several ways the Brown family raises funds for the memorial scholarship. “The run doesn’t raise as much as the other things, but raises probably $800-$1,000… we have to raise around $4,000 each year to keep the scholarship. Every year it has grown, which is a blessing,” said Kim Brown. “I really appreciate the people that come out and support the fact that we are honoring him by helping children at Hanceville High School,” said Kim Brown.
“We’re all family here and this scholarship means a lot to us, and it will be going to one of our seniors to be able to attend Wallace State,” said Funderburg, who came in first as the overall female winner in the 5K.
Winners in the third annual Grant Brown Memorial 5K and Fun Run were:
- Overall Female: Savannah Funderburg (27.15)
- Overall Male: Preston Harrison (24.06)
- Male 15 and under: Drake Bentley
- Female 15 and under: Kynzlee Farr
- Male 20-29: Kyle Bear
- Female 20-29: Brittany Booth
- Male 30-39: Mitchel Howard
- Female 30-39: Lindsey Jones
- Male 40-49: Mark Long
- Female 40-49: Dee Johnson
- Male 50+: Eddie Lewis
- Female 50+: Teresa Fincher
Donations to the Grant Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund can be made at any time by contacting Suzanne Harbin, director of advancement for the Wallace State Community College Future Foundation at 256-352-8144 or suzanne.harbin@wallacestate.edu, or by visiting www.wsccfuturefoundation.org.
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