JB MDL Spouses’ Club holds annual scholarship reception Published June 4, 2014 By Lara Fletcher Joint Base McGuire-Dix-LAkehurst Spouses' Club JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Education and caring for the military family has always been a top priority for senior leaders in the Department of Defense and the same goes for members at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The JB MDL Spouses' Club helped contribute to the same cause by hosting their annual scholarship reception, which took place May 27, 2014, here. The organization honored eight military family members who the club chose to grant financial awards toward their pursuit of higher education. Ellen Vinzant, JB MDL Spouses' Club president, explained how the philanthropic events are among her favorite because they demonstrate how they are more than a social club. She also described how fundraising efforts throughout the year raised $19,000 to divide among the eight recipients. The efforts included proceeds from the annual Trivia Night and the JB MDL Thrift Shop. Thrift shop volunteers, in particular, donated thousands of hours to raise money for scholarships. "If you are looking for a rewarding place to give back, look no further than the JB MDL Spouses' Club and the JB MDL Thrift Shop," said Vinzant. The guest speaker of the event, Kelly Davis, was a scholarship recipient two years ago. She shared a few words about how humbled she was to realize the dedication of the thrift shop volunteers whose efforts to organize and sell items accumulated in the generous gift she was given. She further explained that the gift of a scholarship inspired her to perform well in school and look for ways to pay it forward by assisting in the community. The four high school senior recipients were: Rachel Cabosky, John Hannon, Kristen Malpas and Rachel Patterson. The four continuing education recipients were: Brenda Allen-Hedgeman, Megan Rice, Märit Watson and David Wood Jr. Their career aspirations include a wide variety of fields, such as religion, art, science, medicine and national security. Megan Rice said she is pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree to assist military members in getting 'back on their feet,' literally.