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Coach Ken Baker was a remarkable man. During his nearly 40 years as a teacher and coach at East Greenbush, Hoosick Falls and Cambridge School Districts, he brought out the very best in the hundreds of young men and women whose lives he touched.
Not only was Coach Baker a Section II Hall of Fame coach in both football and wrestling, but he was an outstanding athletic director, dedicated teacher, enthusiastic mentor and devoted family man. We have lost a towering role model and a beloved friend. People like Coach Baker do not pass this way very often – we have all been blessed to have known him.
Therefore, it is only fitting that we should seek to preserve the values he stood for through the establishment of the Coach Ken Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund. The purpose of this scholarship fund is to ensure that the legacy of Coach Baker will live on through the awarding of scholarships to deserving high school seniors from both Hoosick Falls and Cambridge schools each year.
The scholarship fund has been established with the blessing of the Baker family and in partnership with The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region (CFGCR). CFGCR is an independent, not-for-profit, community supported and tax-exempt organization founded in 1968 to meet the needs of the Capital Region’s educational, health, cultural, civic and charitable organizations. CFGCR’s scope goes beyond social service and welfare; its purpose is to improve the overall quality of life in the Capital Region. CFGCR administers a variety of charitable funds. Recognizing the importance of scholarship, especially with decreasing funds for education at the federal level and increasing educational costs for students, we are fortunate to have CFGCR administer the Coach Ken Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund.
As part of this effort, and with input from the Baker family and CFGCR, we have also formed a Scholarship Committee whose job it will be to work with CFGCR to develop the scholarship criteria, solicit donations, participate in the selection of the scholarship recipients and make the awards each spring. This Committee is comprised of community leaders, business people and educators who loved and respected Coach Baker and who are dedicated to improving the quality of life in our communities.
Our goal is to raise $50,000 in 2008 and begin making awards in the Spring of 2009. The principal funds raised will never be touched – but dividends that will result from the investment of these funds by CFGCR will be used each year for the scholarships. In this way the Coach Ken Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund will continue on for many years to come.
All information and donations will be kept strictly confidential. Should you wish to make a donation to this scholarship fund, print out the donation form HERE and please mail to:
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