CDMSF Timeline

• Formative Years
  1985

  • September: The Charles Drew Memorial Scholarship Fund, Inc. (CDMSF) was founded by a group of professional men in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

  • September 3: Incorporation as a not-for-profit Corporation by the State of Maryland. the Board of Directors developed bylaws, and began planning the developing programs for the successful operation of CDMSF. Successful programs such as Bowling League, car washes, and yard sales were established.

  • Due to obstacles encountered while planning these events and the lack of support from the Prince George’s County community required the Board of Directors to suspend operation of the Charles Drew Memorial Scholarship Fund, Inc. until a later date.

• 1996
  

  • September: The decision is made to resume operations.

  • October: Operation resumes with a full complement of working Board of Directors. Charles Drew Memorial Scholarship Fund, Inc. was established with nine (9) board members; including chairman, secretary and treasurer. The board members were: Marion H. Massey (Chairman), Robert L. Robinson (Secretary), Thomas C. Hardin (Treasury), Sam E. Francis (Member), Earl Hazel (Member), Donald R. Herring (Member), Edward J. High (Member), James E. Jones (Member), and Joseph Willliams (Member).

• Golden Age
  1997

  • The Fund operates with a full complement of Board of Directors.

  • Various fundraisers are organized: Holiday Nut Sale, Fish Fry/Yard Sale, Mixed Bowling League, Bowling for Scholars Bowl-A-Thon, Car Washes, and Silent Auction.

  • Applications for financial assistance are accepted from graduating high school students and past scholarship recipients on an annually.

  • Scholarships are awarded to selected applicants, with the minimum amount being $1,000.

  • 17 scholarships are awarded, totaling at least $25,500 in disbursements.

• Age of Transformation
  2019

  • The Fund initiates organizational changes to become a high-performing organization.

  • Transition from an annual budget to a biennial budget is made to increase fundraising opportunities and visibility.

• 2020

  • The CDMSF Board of Directors votes to increase the scholarship award from $1,500 to $3,000, providing a greater impact for students of the community.

  • Board votes for the discontinuation of the $1,500 Continuing Student Scholarship.

• 2021

  • CDMSF scholarship totals continued to increase: 2021 ($45,000), 2022 ($45,000), and 2023 ($48,000).

• 2023

  • May 2023: CDSMF hosted their inaugural Annual Scholarship Fund Banquet. 

• 2024

  • May 2024: Marks the highest amount of distributed scholarship awarded. A total of twenty scholarships was awarded to deserving students totaling ($60,000).