A new scholarship is available to students graduating from Jim Thorpe High School, creating a lasting legacy in memory of Hunter Wolfe, who passed away from cancer in 2011.

Established by Ella Farnell, a Wolfe family friend, the Hunter’s Heroes Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Carbon County Community Foundation will award a $500, one-year, nonrenewable scholarship each year to a graduating Jim Thorpe senior who exhibits great leadership and involvement in the community.

Hunter Kurak Wolfe was an adventurous, outdoorsy and fearless boy born and raised in Jim Thorpe. He loved fishing, golfing and sports. In 2010, Hunter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. For 10 months, he endured extensive chemotherapy while staying brave and strong. Unfortunately, on July 7, 2011, at the age of 12, Hunter lost his battle.

“He was a kind soul taken from the world way too soon,” said Farnell. “Through this scholarship, we hope to continue to spread Hunter’s Hope, Kindness, and Wisdom. HKW. The recipients of this scholarship will be unsung heroes who reflect hard work, courage, and passion in all that they do.”

Farnell is currently working as a marketing and communications intern for the Carbon County Community Foundation. When asked to think about a capstone project she’d like to complete during her internship, this scholarship came to mind.

“I recently graduated from Jim Thorpe Area High School and wanted to create a new opportunity for students while also allowing a new way for Hunter’s legacy to live on,” Farnell said.

During her senior year at Jim Thorpe, Farnell and a classmate, Max Allaham, were candidates for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Students of the Year, which they did in memory of Hunter. Not only were they selected as Students of the Year after raising more than $71,000, but they also broke the record for highest ever fundraising total in the Students of the Year Greater Lehigh Valley & Northeast PA campaign. They named a research grant in the LLS Children’s Initiative in memory of Hunter, and now Farnell has worked to establish this scholarship.

“I can’t express in enough words what this scholarship means to us,” said Kimberly Sargent, Hunter’s mother. “It will allow students to continue reaching for their dreams and changing their futures. An amazing way to remember an amazing young man.”

Jim Thorpe students who wish to request the Hunter’s Heroes Memorial Scholarship will be able to apply through the high school guidance office. Students will be asked to submit an essay with their application describing their characteristics, successes and goals.

Minimum qualifications for the scholarship include 3.0 or higher GPA, demonstrated participation in school/community activities and active volunteer history.

To learn more or to donate to the Hunter’s Heroes Memorial Scholarship, visit www.cccfoundpa.org or contact the Carbon County Community Foundation at 610-730-2526.

The Carbon County Community Foundation was formed in 2015 with the mission to improve the quality of life for residents of the Carbon County region, now and forever. The Foundation exists to simultaneously be a philanthropic leader, a community resource and a financial steward. Learn more about the foundation at cccfoundpa.org.