At its award reception at Cape Fear Botanical Garden on May 19, Cumberland Community Foundation announced $765,375 in scholarship awards to students. 

CCF, a nonprofit charitable organization that was established in 1980, manages 580 individual charitable funds totaling over $120 million. 

The recipients of the academic scholarships applied for the awards in two separate cycles: the Robert H. Short Scholars Program and the Community Scholarship Program.
The Robert H. Schort Scholars program helps high school seniors who graduate in Cumberland County to attend accredited public or nonprofit private colleges or universities. Awards of up to $30,000 are made possible by a $10 million gift in the will of the late Robert H. “Bob” Short, a local businessman and quiet philanthropist who valued education.
Sixty-one of the awards came from the Community Scholarship Program, totalling $135,375.00. The awards from the program range from $500 to $10,000 and are made possible by civic groups, which include The Fayetteville Alumnae Chapter; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; and Cape Fear Kiwanis. Individuals and families establish endowed scholarships as a legacy for a loved one, such as the Dr. Gloria Dantzler and Sergeant First Class (Ret.) Leon Dantzler, Sr. Memorial Scholarship, the Brian Edkins Memorial Scholarship, Curtis E. Torrey Scholarship, and the Ella Smith Downing Charitable Scholarship.

The Brian Edkins Scholarship was established by family and friends in Edkins’ honor after his unexpected death in July 2021. Edkins was a local educator who “devoted his life to students,” a CCF press release said.
“This is the first award from the Brian Edkins Memorial Scholarship,” said Susan Barnes, Scholarship Program Manager. “It is our honor to continue his legacy for local students.”