Service Scholarship Program
SPARK AWARD
Chelsea's acts of service are the spirit of this scholarship program. These annual awards support the education of Hardy Family students whose commitment to serving others demonstrates "deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom" and reflects love's mission to "always protect, always trust, always hope, and not fail others."
Eligibility Requirements, Award Categories, and Details Are Below
SPARK AWARD
PURPOSE: To Encourage rising 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade high school students to perform “Acts of Service”
Award Amount: $100-$250
Writing Format: Essay
Eligible Grade Levels: 10th, 11th and 12th
Required GPA: 2.0 GPA or above
Submission Deadline: July 7, 2025
Required Documentation: Copy of final report card or academic transcript
Directions: Select two prompts below and write a 100-word essay for each
Must Use the REQUIRED WRITING FORMAT
1. Explain what this Statement Means: “Deeds Done in the Humility that Comes from Wisdom.” (100 words)
2. What is Your Definition of Service? Explain Your Opinion with Supporting Details (100 words)
3. Can You Be Wise Without Humility? Explain your Opinion with Supporting Details. (100 words)
When
July 7, 2025
Time
10:00 PM EST
THE CHELSEA-IVANNA AWARD
THE CHELSEA-IVANNA AWARD
PURPOSE: To provide educational support for graduating seniors who have demonstrated
“Acts of Service” that have positively impacted others
Award Amount: $500-$700
Writing Format: Essay
Eligible Grade Levels: Graduating Senior who is a Post Secondary Bound Student (College, Trade, Technical, or Vocational)
Required GPA: 2.0 GPA or above
Submission Deadline: July 7, 2025
Required Documentation: Proof of high school diploma, or a Copy of the final 2025 report card,
or 2025 Academic transcript and Proof of 2025 fall post-secondary school enrollment
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT SCORING:
Quality points will be added to your total essay score with proof that 100 or more service
hours were performed at a non-profit organization/agency.
ACCEPTABLE PROOF OF SERVICE HOURS PERFORMED
(1) A letter written and signed by an administrator where the service hours were performed;
(2) A letter written and signed by the person benefiting from or supervising the service experience; or
(3) Service hours included on a high school/college academic transcript. hours were performed
Directions: Choose “One” of the writing prompts below and write a 400–600-word essay
Must Use the REQUIRED WRITING FORMAT
1. Describe a Significant “Act of Service” that you have performed to benefit Others
2. Explain How Wisdom and Humility are Connected to You and Serving Others.
When
July 7, 2025
Time
10:00 PM EST
INSPIRATION AWARD
THE INSPIRATION AWARD
PURPOSE: To provide financial support for a student currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution
who has demonstrated “Acts of Service” that have positively impacted others.
Award Amount: $500-$700
Writing Format: Essay
Eligible Grade Levels: Currently Enrolled Students in: (College, Trade, Technical, or Vocational)
Required GPA: 3.0 GPA or above
Submission Deadline: July 7, 2025
Required Documentation: Copy of 2025 Spring academic transcript &
Proof of 2025 fall post-secondary enrollment
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT SCORING
Quality points will be added to the total essay score with proof that 100 or more service
hours were performed at a non-profit organization/agency
ACCEPTABLE PROOF OF SERVICE HOURS PERFORMED
(1) A letter written and signed by an administrator where the service hours were performed;
(2) A letter written and signed by the person benefiting from or supervising the service experience
Directions: Choose “One” of the writing prompts below and write a 400–600-word essay
Must Use the REQUIRED WRITING FORMAT
1. Describe a Significant “Act of Service” that you have performed to benefit Others
2. Explain How Wisdom and Humility are Connected to You and Serving Others.
When
July 7, 2025
Time
10:00 PM EST
IMPORTANT DETAILS
Required Essay Format
All essays should have Three Main Parts
1. Introduction: In your introduction, the reader will look for you to introduce yourself and learn more
about you, what you value, and how you came to engage in your service project. Stick to the facts,
be specific, and be personal. Draw your reader into your personality and how you view service.
You want your reader to understand who you are and your service perspective immediately,
so you can use the rest of your essay to tell your story.
Can be a one-liner or a paragraph that introduces your service/views
2. Body: The body of your essay is its most important part. It gives your reader all the service details.
The body is where all the facts are provided. It should give the essential details your reader needs to
understand your contribution. In this section, you should clearly explain your contributions, what actions you took,
who specifically benefited from them, why your efforts mattered, and what you learned from the experience.
3. Conclusion: The conclusion is your forward-looking view of why service is
valuable and should help the reader answer these questions:
Are you a better version of yourself?
Is the world a better place?
How have you changed or grown, and what perspectives are different?
Summarizes your main points, what you’ve learned, and how you’ve grown,
and how you apply what you’ve learned to other life experiences.
ESSAY PARTS
100 Word Essay
INTRODUCTION: Less than or equal to 25 words
BODY: Less than or equal to 50 words
CONCLUSION: Less than or equal to 25 words
400 Word Essay
INTRODUCTION: Less than or equal to 75 words
BODY: Less than or equal to 250 words
CONCLUSION: Less than or equal to 75 words
600 Word Essay
INTRODUCTION: Less than or equal to 125 words
BODY: Less than or equal to 350 words
CONCLUSION: Less than or equal to 125 words
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
1. The essay must be submitted in “PDF Format” only
2. The essay and all supporting documents (final report card, academic transcripts, proof of
post-secondary enrollment, and/or proof of service letter)
should be attached to the email at the same time.
3. Attach a cover letter that includes your first and last name,
name of the school that you will
attend in the Fall of 2025,
and the year of anticipated graduation.
For all questions and submission of your essay and required documentation,
please use this email address:
cibservicescholarship@gmail.com
When
July 7, 2025
Time
10:00 PM EST
The Chelsea-Ivanna Bennett Service Scholarship Program
The Story Behind the Scholarship
The power of service lies in its ability to create a ripple effect of love, compassion, and empathy. It is the selfless act of giving, putting the needs of others before our own, and making a positive impact on the lives of those around us. It is about inspiring others to pay it forward, lend a helping hand, and make a difference. Service means not expecting recognition or wanting anything in return, and realizing that now, right now, is our time on earth to make a difference. Sometimes, service can be centered on community acts and big projects; other times, it can be personal, one-to-one. Often, it’s in the smallest things we do that the most extraordinary acts of service are done.
For Chelsea-Ivanna, service started with caring for her dolls and learning to love and care for her brothers, friends, and classmates. As she grew older, she became an empathetic and supportive listener, spending nights on the phone for weeks listening and supporting her friend “D,” helping him get through the emotional trauma caused by his mother sending him away because her new beau didn’t want a teenage boy around. When her friend G’s father passed unexpectedly, Chelsea became her lifeline. She demanded that we cook and prepare a week’s worth of food, buy supplies for G’s family, and take it to them every day, hot and ready to eat. But it didn’t stop there. G’s father was the breadwinner, and his passing meant a loss of income. G was afraid her family was going to become homeless. For almost a year, she ate dinner with us, studied with Chelsea, and found refuge in our home because Chelsea invited her and gave her that security until G’s family could figure it out. Chelsea was only a junior, but she had the wisdom to know that the resources she had needed to be shared. An LGBTQ friend was fearful of “coming out,” and someone at school cruelly leaked her secret. She faced bullying and ridicule in the halls, the cafeteria, and classes. Chelsea had leverage as a popular girl, and in service, love, and courage, one day at the cafeteria table, Chelsea stood up against all her classmates and defended her gay friend. Most significantly, there was Lexi. Chelsea met Lexi while working at her part-time job at Rite-Aid.
Eventually, Chelsea learned that Lexi’s mother would randomly take off and leave Lexi and her little brother alone for weeks. Lexi was 16; her brother was 7. Chelsea learned that once Lexi put her little brother on the school bus in the mornings, she would take a taxi to Rite-Aid instead of going to school. Lexi’s mother never left them any money, so Lexi had to work to buy them food. Not only was Lexi missing out on her schooling, but paying for the taxi took most of the money she made at Rite-Aid. When Chelsea learned about all of this, she made a plan. In service and sacrifice, Chelsea got up early on the days Lexi worked. She would drive to Lexi’s apartment, pick her up, and then take her to her job at Rite-Aid before heading to school.
Getting up an hour early, doing all these things, and getting to school by 8 am was a big commitment. Helping to carry someone else’s weight requires something of us. Chelsea could have chosen to turn away and avoid Lexi. But where would that have left Lexi and her little brother? Chelsea took on this responsibility whenever Lexi’s mother abandoned her children.
Chelsea understood the power of support, humility, and wisdom. She regularly volunteered at community food banks, packed and distributed canned goods, cared for and supported women and children at a homeless shelter, visited and befriended lonely seniors, and solicited clothing donations for Haitian refugees.