Event has raised more than $900,000 in 30 years
Published in the May 13-26, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Ron Woolf
Ron Woolf
Little did I realize in 1989 when I attended my first Mushroom Mardi Gras Board of Directors meeting that I would have a very rewarding experience working with outstanding volunteer students and adults and dedicated board members for 26 years.
The Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras embodies more than just a two-day, fun festival for local residents and our Bay Area neighbors. The real reason for all the fungus-eating and fun(gi)-making is giving back to the community. The Mushroom Mardi Gras is a charitable nonprofit organization. Every dollar above and beyond the cost of putting on the festival goes toward scholarships to seniors who live within the boundaries of the Morgan Hill Unified School District, mini grants to elementary and middle schools in the MHUSD and donations to nonprofit clubs and organizations that participate in the festival.
The Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras began awarding scholarships in 1984. During the past 30 years, 926 students have been awarded scholarships, totaling more than $920,000 for continuing education. Any senior living in the Morgan Hill Unified School District, including private schools, Central High School and the Morgan Hill Adult School, are eligible to apply for a scholarship.
This year the seven members of the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Scholarship Committee received a total of 266 applications. Scholarship recipients are selected based on a combination of academic performance, community and school service and need. This year the committee was excited to award 46 scholarships to Live Oak and Sobrato high school seniors, one scholarship to Bellarmine College Preparatory High School, one scholarship to the Community Adult School and two scholarships to Central High School, which will be selected in a separate process, totaling $50,000. The scholarship awardees will be attending many colleges and universities including: University of Southern California, Stanford University, University of San Francisco, University of California campuses at Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Irvine, San Diego, Riverside, and Los Angeles, the Universities of Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kent, Santa Clara University, Cal Lutheran, San Jose State University, San Diego State University, Sonoma State University, and Cal Poly. Scholarship recipients are also going to community colleges including Gavilan, West Valley, Miramar, and Mira Costa.
Two children view mushrooms at the 2014 Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras. File photo
Family, relatives, friends, and the general public will be able to meet these outstanding students at the Community Center Amphitheater Stage at 1:30 p.m. Sunday May 24. Many of these star students will also roam the Mushroom Mardi Gras festival grounds as goodwill ambassadors. Please take a moment to congratulate them if you happen to meet a student.
Last year, we had 130 student volunteers who helped in many ways to make our home-town festival a success. These volunteers came from Live Oak, Sobrato, and Oakwood high schools.
Thanks again to our many sponsors, vendors, volunteers, and thousands who attend the festival in making all of scholarships possible for these outstanding students. Working together with the community and the schools, the Mushroom Mardi Gras is opening the door to life opportunities for our local young people.
Ron Woolf is a member of the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Trustees and also a member of the Mushroom Mardi Gras Board of Directors. He wrote this guest column for Morgan Hill Life.
MORGAN HILL LIFE CONGRATULATES THE 2015 MUSHROOM MARDI GRAS SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Recipients from Live Oak High School include: Elvia Arellano, Michaela Austin, Chante Bagley, Emily Carrillo, Alexandra Dimidik, Christine Emuka, Niles Flynn, Page Frierson, Diana Fuentes, Elizabeth Ha, Theresa Hernandez, Daytona Hernandez, Paola Jimenez, Mia Lugo, Lauren Masterson, Shelby Mitchell, Monet Percun, David Roster, Golnesa Safavi, Justin Shumate, Allyse Stycznski, Shiela Tomasello and Jonathan Vu.
Recipients from Sobrato High School include: Evelyn Arroyo, Hannah Austin, Amanda Bell, Stephen Brenny, Chris Chong, JulieFlor Cortez, Madeline Dile, Kevin Felt, Michelle Gutierrez, Kelsey Hendrickson, Kerry Huang, Najpreet Kahlon, Michelle Luong, Rachel McMillan, Hannah Miller, Theresa Ngo, Monica Orbon, Kenneth Torres, Amy Tran, Donna Vu, Jessica Wong, Jacqueline Yago and Maximo Zhang.
Armando Banuelos from Bellarmine College Preparatory High School and Antonio Ruano and Daniella Avalos from Central High School also received scholarships.
