Alumni and Friends of Belmont High School, Inc. was formed in October 2007 to establish a permanently endowed scholarship fund for the benefit of Belmont High School students pursuing further education and in need of financial aid.
The purpose of AFBHS is stated most succinctly in our Charter and Bylaws:
The Corporation...is organized and will be operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code as amended, including promoting the welfare of Belmont High School
This Corporation shall be operated to promote the education of Belmont High School students by granting scholarships for post secondary education to students in need of financial aid to be determined by administrators at Belmont High School....
The task of creating a tax exempt charitable endowment has been completed. The charter has been filed; The Massachusetts Attorney General permission letter has been granted; and the Internal Revenue Service application for tax exempt status has been filed and granted in writing. Donations to AFBHS are tax deductible on Federal Income taxes. (link to documents)
With the present cost of a year's education at private colleges nearly $50,000, and state schools over $20,000 per year, the ability of high school/college students to earn a substantial amount to pay for a college education is well in the past. Even when receiving aid in grants and loans from colleges, seniors are often confronted with limited educational choices because of their family's limited income and assets to assist with the college payments. Family resources are strained even further when parents have several children to educate. After college, students with large loans often curtail or postpone graduate study in medicine, law, science, or education in order to repay the loans.
AFBHS scholarships are for students with financial need who are pursuing post secondary education. This includes all students that need financial help, including students who could be offered scholarships to encourage a two year program or community college. Even at Belmont High School with its impressive academic strength, there are several students each year that need great encouragement to pursue further education to overcome difficult personal and family situations. Generous scholarships to such students could often be the best place for AFBHS scholarships to make a great difference in a student's future life. There are many existing successful scholarship foundations operating in similar Massachusetts towns. We have information and links to some of these successful programs on our "what other towns are doing" page. The AFBHS request to Belmont High School alumni for scholarship donations is an appeal to our alumni group that itself has had great educational and financial success. The Town of Belmont was generous in its support of our education at Belmont High School and the peer pressure of other students helped our success. This is a time to help current Belmont High School students succeed in their educational opportunities. For more information on types of scholarships, and how to donate, go to the Donations Page. For more information, contact us at info@afbhs.org |
 AFBHS Treasurer Susan Orowan Martin presents a $10,000 check to Principal Michael Harvey. The check will fund four scholarships of $2,500 each |