Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund Keeps Knocking it out of the Park
The baseball season is in full swing which means the Out-of-Door Academy’s annual baseball tournament, The Emmons Classic, is right around the corner. This year will be the third annual event sponsored by the Emmons family; however, the Emmons have been involved in more ways at the school than you can count.
The most visible and most significant impact they’ve had on the school is establishing the The Emmons Scholarship Foundation and building Taylor Emmons Field.
Taylor Emmons, a former student at the Out-of-Door, passed away prematurely, but his legacy will live on at Out-of-Door for as long as the school is here. Because Emmons was so passionate about his alma mater, his family and friends created a scholarship foundation in his name.
Each year the foundation hosts fund raisers to raise money for recipients of the scholarship which allows a student, boy or girl, to attend Out-of-Door. Students are chosen for their exceptional skills in athletics and academic promise. Coming to ODA gives these students an extraordinary chance at competing at a high level while getting an amazing academic experience.
“We have two fundraisers a year with one selling handmade wreaths and the other fundraiser is our annual golf and poker tournament. Our annual amount raised per year fluctuates, but our average is $150,000 through our fundraising efforts and contributions,” says Sandra Albano, Executive Director of the Taylor William Emmons Memorial Foundation.
The foundation is responsible for attracting many different scholar athletes to our school including the first Emmons’ scholarship recipient, Desmond Lindsay ’15 who is now an outfielder with the New York Mets’ minor league system. The scholarship supports a diversity of athletes such as dancers, football players, baseball players, and basketball players. So far six students have received the scholarship.
“The scholarship means everything to me. Without it I would have never ever got the chance to go to ODA or make the amazing memories I’ve made the past four years. I’ll forever be grateful to the Emmons family,” says senior Cameron Smalley.
Interested in applying or know anyone who should? Email The Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund at [email protected].
Junior, Alex DiMare has been at ODA since 5th grade. He loves playing baseball and has been a part of the ODA program for five years. He enjoys spending...
