NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TO NEWS/CITY DESK EDITOR
CONTACT: Debbie Bitting, Pennsylvania Municipal League, 717-236-9469, ext. *223, dbitting@pml.org
Civic Engagement Essay Winners Recognized During Municipal Leadership Summit
Lancaster, PA (October 8, 2021) –Recent graduates Madison Passmore, Cedar Cliff High School, Lower Allen Township; Cecilia Fink, Williamsport Area High School; and Elisabeth Gural, Burrell High School, are the winners of the Pennsylvania Municipal League’s John A. Garner, Jr. Civic Engagement Essay Scholarship Contest. Passmore, Fink and Gural were recognized during the Municipal Leadership Summit today.
Madison Passmore is the first place winner and recipient of a $2,000 scholarship. Lower Allen Township President Commissioner Dean Villone accepted the 1st place plaque on behalf of Madison Passmore. Cecilia Fink is the second place winner and will receive a $1,000 scholarship and Elisabeth Gural is the third place winner and will receive a $500 scholarship. This is the 38th year that the Pennsylvania Municipal League has awarded these scholarships. The award monies are deposited at the Financial Aid Office of each awardee’s selected institution of higher education.
These scholarships are made possible through the Pennsylvania Municipal League and the generous contribution of Yvonne Garner in memory of her husband, John A. Garner, Jr., League Executive Director Emeritus.
“Our 2021 John A. Garner, Jr. Civic Engagement Essay Scholarship Contest winners Madison Passmore, Cecilia Fink and Elisabeth Gural, are to be commended for their exceptional essays,” said League Executive Director Richard J. Schuettler. “I truly hope these bright young adults will consider futures which include service in local government.”
Contest participants were asked to elaborate on the appropriate theme – Civics and You – by writing about opportunities in their community that allow for civic engagement and encourage citizens to volunteer to help with local challenges. See our Civics and You e-book.
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The mission of the Pennsylvania Municipal League (The League) is to strengthen, empower and advocate for effective local government. The League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1900 as an advocate for Pennsylvania’s 3rd class cities. Today, The League represents Pennsylvania cities, boroughs, townships, home rule communities and towns that all share their municipal policy interests. The Board of Directors oversees the administration of a wide array of municipal services including legislative advocacy, publications, education/training, consulting-based programs, and group insurance trusts. For more information, please visit PML.org. Join the conversation at twitter.com/PAMunicipalLeag and facebook.com/PaMunicipalLeague – #MunicipalLeadershipSummit21. The winning essays can be viewed in the Virtual Municipal Leadership Summit program book, available in the Resources section at www.pml.org/municipal-leadership-summit.