In 2016, Liz and Gil Blankespoor, two longtime Reston residents, went to dinner at a local restaurant. While there, they learned that their waitress was working two jobs and her husband, three. It was revealed that despite the couple’s hard work to provide a quality life for their family, they still could not afford to send their daughter to college. Refusing to accept the injustice of a Reston couple holding five jobs between them being unable to help their child receive a higher education, Liz and Gil decided to start the Reston Scholarship Fund.

The goal of the Reston Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is to award ten scholarships annually to graduating South Lakes High School seniors planning to attend Northern Virginia Community College before transferring to a four-year college/university or who will be attending George Mason University after graduation from SLHS. The scholarships, with a maximum possible award of $16,000, are renewable for up to six years as long as the student continues to demonstrate financial need, maintains a 2.50 GPA or higher, and funding is available.

The Fund was founded as a 501(c)(3) in 2016, and in 2017 joined the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, which oversees it today. We work closely with educational professionals at South Lakes High School as well as at Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University.

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