Ismay Harris Larrier was a founder and member of the John Wesley United Methodist Church until her passing in January 1986. Before she departed this life, she requested that her family donate all monies received to aid a young person of the church or community in acquiring a college education This resulted in the John Wesley UMC establishing a Scholarship Committee. Donations from the family, church members, friends, along with charitable annuity (through the United Methodist Frontier Foundation), enabled us to launch our first Award Luncheon in 1989. At that time the Fund was renamed the Ismay Harris Larrier Memorial Scholarship Fund and the two recipients received $500 each. With your support we have been able to increase awards, first to $700 and now to $1,000.

Inspired by its namesake, the scholarship committee seeks to bridge the gap between financial need and educational empowerment by providing financial assistance to deserving college bound students who are residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant and/or members of John Wesley United Methodist Church.

The Scholarship Fund now in its 20^th year, has provided over $39,000.00 to 38 qualifying students, including four of our young people here at John Wesley. The Committee recognizes the importance of the whole village in raising a child, and is committed to providing financial assistance to prepare our future leaders to meet their educational goals today.

It is our hope that her legacy of aspiring towards higher education will continue through future generations.

How to Qualify for the Scholarship?

• To qualify, students must graduate from high school, reside in Bedford-Stuyvesant for at least 24 months, must be a citizen of the U.S., and of African American descent. Residency requirements can be waived for applicants attending John Wesley United Methodist Church. Recipients must demonstrate both academic achievement, community service and exhibit a financial need. At the time of the award the student must be a matriculating student at an institute of higher learning

The Ismay Harris Larrier Memorial Scholarship Committee has helped our recipients attend the following Colleges and Universities: Albany State, Atlantic College, Barnard College (NYC), Brooklyn College, Dartmouth College, Georgetown University, (Washington D.C.), Hampton University, Hunter College, Kingsborough Community College (NY), Long Island University, New York City College of Technology, New York University, Oxford College of Emory University, Pace University (NYC), Penn State University, Polytechnic University, Spellman College, St. Francis College, St. John’s University, St. Michaels College, Stony Brook University, SUNY-Plattsburg, Temple University, The King’s College, Tuffs University (Boston, MA), University of Pennsylvania, Utica College of Syracuse University, and Virginia Union University.