About Us
The Hammond Foundation was established in 2002 by Verle Hammond, a retired Army Colonel and entrepreneur, and his wife Eleanor Hammond, a retired educator. They both have a very strong belief in the importance of higher education and wanted to create a way to enable young minorities to have the same opportunities to succeed that they both had. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization providing scholarships and supporting various mentoring programs that assist public schools in closing the achievement gap. Our current geographic focus is Loudoun County, Virginia and St. Johns County, Florida. The scholarship program began in 2003 and the name, “MIND WIDE OPEN SCHOLARSHIP” was created because we believe that attending college is a key factor to opening a young mind to the possibilities of who they can be.
The Hammond’s come from humble beginnings. Through their deep roots in education they felt it was important to give back by blessing minority youth with an opportunity to attend college through its college scholarship program. The Foundation’s focus in Loudoun County VA was based on the strong ties through their children and grandchildren who reside there.
Verle Hammond has had many family members influence his belief in the importance of higher education. As a preschooler, while his parents worked at a defense plant, he lived with his great aunt Fannie B. Reid, the first black principal in Sanford, Florida. She imparted her strong values about reading and especially higher education to her nephews and nieces. Mr. Hammond also has two sisters with distinguished teaching careers in Florida and Washington, D.C.
Eleanor Hammond comes from a family of educators. Her mother graduated from Ft. Valley State College and was a dedicated and highly creative 4th and 5th grade teacher in Adel, Georgia. Mrs. Hammond's father graduated from Savannah State College (now Savannah State University) and was a social studies teacher. A man ahead of his time, he was well known for getting black voters to the polls in the 1950's. Because of her parents' influence, Mrs. Hammond wanted to be a teacher ever since she could remember. She was also strongly encouraged and mentored by her grandparents and aunts.
Scholarships:
The Hammond Foundation provides an annual scholarship program for minority high school students in Loudoun County, Virginia and St. Johns County, Florida. The scholarships are aimed at helping students achieve their full potential by ensuring they have the funds to attend college. Administered by the United Negro College Fund, the scholarships are given to students who:
• Are accepted into a college or university
• Have demonstrated a strong desire to excel, and
• Have a financial need.
From the 2003/2004 school year to present, we have awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to high school seniors in Loudoun County VA and St. Johns County, Florida.
2011 Scholarship Recipients:
The Hammond Foundation is pleased to announce the award of a total of $15,000 in college scholarship monies to six Loudoun County seniors. The six Loudoun County High School Class of 2011 graduates selected to be awarded $2,500 each from The Hammond Foundation’s Mind Wide Open Scholarship were: Thu Shelly Nguyen (Broad Run HS, attending UVA), Pritpal Saggu (Dominion HS, attending James Madison University), Jacquelynne Causey (Loudoun County HS, attending University of California, Santa Barbara), Trevonte Harrison (Loudoun Valley HS, attending North Carolina A&T), Nghia Bui (Potomac Falls HS, attending James Madison University) and Vanessa Paige (Stone Bridge HS, attending Virginia Commonwealth University).
For a complete list of past scholarship recipients please go to our official website www.thehammondfoundation.org.