Remembering My Parents and a Scholarship in Their Honor

Marion Phelps Hamar on her wedding day.

Today would be my mother's 92 birthday.  Unfortunately, my family and I lost her back in 2011 - my dad left us in 2006 - but hopefully both of them will live on in people's memories at least in some small part through the George D. and Marion Phelps Hamar/HRBOR Scholarship that I endowed with the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.  Unlike so many parents reference in this blog who reject their children when they come out as LGBT, my parents embraced me and supported me in every way possible.  So many LGBT youth are not as lucky and often they find themselves disowned and unable to pursue a higher education. The Hampton Roads Community Foundation diligently administers the scholarship and has created a special direct link for donations which is here.  On the link page, the following statement appears:

Thank you for donating to the George D. and Marion Phelps Hamar HRBOR Scholarship. The endowed scholarship fund was started in 2011 at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation by Michael Hamar in memory of his parents and in honor of Hampton Roads Business OutReach (HRBOR), an LGBT chamber of commerce. The permanent scholarship fund helps self-identifying lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) students attend college. Scholarship recipients must be from high schools in Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk or Virginia Beach. Donations to the scholarship fund will help it grow so it can help even more students go to college. 

I believe my parents would be proud of the scholarship, especially my father who was orphaned at age 3 and benefited from the GI bill following WWII and thereby secured his college education.   I wish my mother a "Happy birthday" and hope that, if readers are so moved, they will make a donation.  The endowed fund is steadily growing and my hope is that more and more students can benefit from the scholarship as the years go by,  Happy Birthday Mom!

Wedding Congratulations and Gifts - Support the Hamar/HRBOR Scholarship

Me with the husband - April 20, 2014

Since our wedding - actually even before it - the husband and I have been showered with congratulations and gifts for which we are most grateful.   The trend continued last night when we had dinner at the Hampton Yacht Club and had many people come over to extend congratulations - on April 13th we had been featured in a Daily Press story, so our impending wedding was very well advertised, if you will - and again, the husband and I have been very touched.  Gifts have ranged from cash (which is always nice) to beautiful gifts.  In talking about it, the husband and I have come up with another way in which friends - or readers - can extend us wedding congratulations: make a tax deductible donation to the George D. and Marion Phelps Hamar/HRBOR Scholarship.  The Hampton Roads Community Foundation which administers the scholarship has created a special direct link for donations which is here.  On the link page, the following statement appears:

Thank you for donating to the George D. and Marion Phelps Hamar HRBOR Scholarship. The endowed scholarship fund was started in 2011 at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation by Michael Hamar in memory of his parents and in honor of Hampton Roads Business OutReach (HRBOR), an LGBT chamber of commerce. The permanent scholarship fund helps self-identifying lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) students attend college. Scholarship recipients must be from high schools in Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk or Virginia Beach. Donations to the scholarship fund will help it grow so it can help even more students go to college. (my emphasis)

The husband and I are strong believers in making a difference.  Yes, the scholarship honors my late parents and HRBOR, but the real goal is to help change lives.  With far too many LGBT youth still finding themselves disowned by their families - something that I hope will begin to change -  the need for financial assistance is stark.  The scholarship also helps students from families unable to provide much financial support.

If you feel moved to do so, consider making a gift to the scholarship fund.  Every little bit helps grow the endowment and help more LGBT youth as time goes by.  Thank you for being readers and thank you to those who contribute.

George and Marion Hamar - Wedding June 3, 1950