Roy and Darlene Thornton never had children of their own, but that didn’t stop the Mid-Del couple from positively impacting youth in their community. With the help of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, the Thorntons created the Roy Edward Thornton and Darlene Young Thornton Scholarship to support local students committed to community service.
“If these were our children, what can we do,” asked Roy. “Well, we can do a lot. We are not rich or anything like that, but we can get things done.”
The Thorntons didn’t have an extraordinary amount of money to give, but they knew the size of their donation didn’t matter, they could still make a difference. The scholarship fund the Thorntons started in 2013 has grown from a $1,000 award supporting two recipients each year to a $2,100 award supporting seven recipients each year.
Del City High School graduate Kya McFadden is a 2019 recipient of the Thornton’s scholarship. An active student always involved in community service, Kya met with her guidance counselor and they determined the Thornton’s scholarship was the perfect fit for her. Kya now studies education at Langston University and hopes to become a teacher and give back to others.
“If I had the opportunity to meet with the Thorntons or members from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, I would tell them thank you for all they’re doing for students like myself and thank you for the opportunities they’re providing,” said Kya. “If it had not been for them, I don’t know if I would be where I am right now.”
The Roy Edward and Darlene Young Thornton Scholarship is one of more than 130 permanently-endowed scholarship opportunities available to students throughout Oklahoma. As the largest independent scholarship provider in the state, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation awarded $2.5 million in scholarships to nearly 800 students in the 2019-20 academic year.
If you’d like more information on how you can establish your own unique scholarship to help deserving students in our community, contact Joe Carter at (405) 606-2914 today.