The Thomas Edison State University Foundation has entered into a partnership with the Ammon Foundation to provide scholarship opportunities for individuals in recovery from substance use disorder.
Ammon’s Recovery Scholars Program will provide up to $3,000, matched by the TESU Foundation, to support individuals in recovery who are pursuing education. The Recovery Scholars program also assists scholarship recipients with academic, personal and professional support.
“We are thrilled to begin working with Thomas Edison State University,” said Mariel Hufnagel, executive director, Ammon Foundation. “We envision a world where all who have suffered from addiction are able to access and sustain long-term recovery.”
The Ammon Foundation launched in October 2016 as a philanthropic endeavor of Ammon Labs. The Foundation’s mission is to empower individuals in addiction recovery through combating stigma and providing strategic support to enable personal success. Headquartered in Linden, N.J., Ammon helps individuals in addiction recovery to access and sustain long-term recovery through recovering addicts to access and sustain long-term recovery through the Ammon Recovery Scholars Program.
“This collegiate recovery program reinforces our dedication to supporting our students regardless of their circumstances,” said John P. Thurber, vice president, Public Affairs. “More than simply matching the scholarship dollars, we strive to empower our students to change their lives through education and career opportunities.”
The first two scholarship recipients are Hazel Robinson and John Sizemore, both of whom are pursuing degrees in psychology. Robinson, a 55-year-old mother of five and grandmother of six, has been in recovery for nine years and hopes to use her degree to help others fighting addiction. “Receiving this financial support means my community has faith in me,” Robinson acknowledged. “My involvement in drug and alcohol addiction called me to action, so I have turned my life around from this terrible disease.”
Sizemore, 26, who aspires to become a Drug and Alcohol counselor, says “My life and my story is a message of hope for other individuals in recovery because I have overdosed, have lost both my parents to drugs and have spent five years in prison, which is where I finally got clean and sober. I want to make a difference in the lives of adolescents, teens and young adults. I hope to help these individuals enter and sustain recovery.
