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By Wakisha Bailey
/ CBS Philadelphia
A Philadelphia man has made it his life’s mission to honor his mother’s legacy by giving scholarships to high school seniors.
Ollie Tansimore III sits inside his family’s dining room night after night, scrolling through hundreds of high school essays.
“I have a total of right now, that’s submitted right now, 987 applicants,” Tansimore said. “I wish I could give 987.”
Every year, Tansimore raises money to award the Etherine Tansimore Scholarship to a high school senior.
“All they have to do is just write a 300-word essay,” he said. “Any high school senior that has a 2.5 GPA. Because I was a C student, they don’t have scholarships for us.”
Tansimore remembers that when he was a kid doing homework, he’d look over his shoulder and see his late mother, Etherine.
Etherine worked as a nurse for more than 20 years. When she wasn’t caring for patients, she was the neighborhood mom.
“She would always say always say, ‘Remember your community first,'” Tansimore said.
That soon became a motto Tansimore adopted.
He gives out several $1,000 scholarships to students planning to pursue a career in the medical field each year, but he says the need is much greater.
In a small corner of his childhood home is an empty desk where his mother used to sit and write to their family. Now, he reads the essays of those who defy the odds.
The Etherine Tansimore Scholarship is given out in partnership with Bold.org.
Tansimore hopes to award two scholarships this year. With more donations, he could help more deserving children.
Wakisha Bailey joined CBS News Philadelphia as a reporter in July 2021.
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©2024 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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