The Loudoun Laurels Foundation is a non-profit corporation that is committed to honoring exceptional community service for the benefit of Loudoun County citizens and to developing future civic leaders through scholarships and mentoring. Since its formation in 2008, the Foundation has selected and recognized a total of 26 Loudoun Laureates at formal events held annually. Members of our community who become Loudoun Laureates may participate in an outreach program in which they speak about their lives and careers including the challenges they faced along the way. The Laureates’ personal stories are recorded and are made available to the public through the generous support of our archival partner, the Thomas Balch Memorial Library in Leesburg. In 2013 the Foundation expanded its mission to establish the Loudoun Laurels Stewardship Trust. Contributions to the Trust fund scholarships awarded to seniors in Loudoun County high schools who, through hard work and dedication, have excelled despite obstacles in their paths. The students have demonstrated their personal embodiment of the ideals of the Loudoun Laurels. Our partners in the scholarship program are the teachers, counselors, and staff of the Loudoun County Public Schools’ CAMPUS and AVID programs who work with minority and first- generation-to-attend-college students, many of whom are in the “academic middle,” to prepare them for college. The Loudoun Laurels Foundation’s Stewardship Trust awards $40,000 scholarships that are distributed in $10,000 annual installments during the four-year term of each recipient’s college career. To date, the Trust has awarded over a million dollars in scholarships to 25 students.