For graduating seniors of Cuthbertson High School, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction that comes from four years of hard work…except maybe when you get paid for it! That’s exactly what five students got thanks to local realtor Rob Callaghan from Skycroft Realty.
Callaghan has built a successful real estate career, largely focusing his sales in Union County. And as a “thank you” to the community that sustains him, he felt compelled to give back in a most appreciative way.
“I wanted to do something that was impactful for the community. Schools are such an important piece of people’s decision-making to move to the area, so I knew I wanted to do something for the schools,” says Callaghan.
For every house sold, Callaghan chose to donate $1000 out of his personal commission to the scholarship fund, hoping to benefit these hard-working students as they depart for college. Since January, Callaghan has sold 10 homes within the Cuthbertson district, alone. Consequently, he set up a scholarship fund, this year, in conjunction with the CHS PTO to reward five students a total of $10,000, each receiving $2000. Of the 22 applications received, the winners were Sarah LaTour, Jillian LaTour, Theresa Nicholas, Joshua O’Brien, and Jacob Owsley. The recipients were announced at CHS’ annual awards ceremony, held on Friday in the school’s auditorium.
CHS Principal Jeff Stout made the welcome address at Friday’s ceremony, and made it a point to collectively congratulate those students who went above and beyond in their academic and/or athletic endeavors. “I look forward to this celebration of academic successes. To see all their hard work and commitment come to fruition is a very rewarding day for everybody,” states Stout.
Looking to the future, Callaghan hopes to build his “Giving Game” Scholarship by leaps and bounds in the coming years. While this year’s generous donation was a result of just four months of sales, next year’s will pool from an entire year of proceeds. Additionally, Callaghan plans to include other area high schools into his eligibility criteria.
