BRATTLEBORO – A $10,000 ‘Jenn Murphy Scholarship’ will be awarded to a Brattleboro Union High School senior, this year, and for the next five years, with the funding coming from an ‘Anonymous’ donor who was motivated to this extreme generosity through the momentum of the Jenn Murphy Scholarship Facebook Group. The money will be going to the newly formed nonprofit, the Jenn Murphy Scholarship Foundation. The ‘Jennifer Murphy Scholarship’ was started twenty-five years ago, by high school friends of Jennifer Murphy and was, at the time, a $1000 award. As the funds ran out eventually, two of Jenn’s best friends growing up, Emily Petit and Stephanie Bonin, recently co-founded a new scholarship, the “Jenn Murphy Scholarship.” It was created for a remarkable 15-year-old girl, Jenn Murphy, who's life was tragically cut short, but whose memory will continue to be illuminated through this scholarship in her name, and also by helping the next generation of amazing BUHS athletes, artists, actors, musicians and humanitarians, defer the looming costs of a higher education. The very existence of this scholarship is proof of the love and loyalty rooted in her hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont. An entire small online community has come together, and continues to build, currently over 300 hundred ‘Jenn Murphy Scholarship’ supporters in fact, spanning over multiple high school classes and fanning out through siblings and even parents and teachers at Brattleboro Union High School.  "Not everyone is able to give during these difficult times, but everyone is supporting in their own ways that they can, including commenting and conversing to keep it fun in the Facebook Group. We all want the future generations that walk the halls of BUHS to know that we are extremely proud of them and that we are dedicated helping them defer the costs of higher education, as much as we possibly can, in honor of Jenn," said Emily Petit, President of the Jenn Murphy Scholarship Foundation and Jenn's best friend growing up. “Clearly I am just one of Jenn's many friends. Just one of hundreds who knew and loved her. She has touched so many lives in her short time with us, and now, almost thirty years later, she has brought us all back together again in the most magnificent and meaningful way, with laughs galore! How very Jenn!” Currently, with the help of the community in the Jenn Murphy Scholarship Facebook Group boasting 300+ as well as several other “Friends of Jenn,” there is funding for two ‘Jenn Murphy Scholarships’ and both will be awarded this spring. A $10,000 scholarship as well as a $1,000 scholarship, both available to high school seniors excelling in extra-curricular activities as well as maintaining a a good curricular standing as well (3.0 average).   The goal is to provide as much financial support for higher education opportunities to Brattleboro Union High School seniors, throughout these extraordinarily trying times and beyond. The scholarship will be presented annually, at the end of each school year, to Brattleboro Union High School seniors who have demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments in their extra-curricular endeavors, as well as sharing a commitment to ‘living in the spirit of Jenn.’ 'Living in the spirit of Jenn,' means showing a dedication to humanitarianism and to strengthening the town of Brattleboro's community and/or the communities abroad. 'Living in the spirit of Jenn,' means demonstrating outstanding perseverance and commitment to living outside oneself, with a determination towards bettering the world around you. 'Living in the spirit of Jenn,' means and exuding the civic-minded compassion which makes our little slice of world, the town of Brattleboro, Vermont, so unique and unforgettable. With the help and support of BUHS retired teacher and coach, Sherryl Libardoni, who also helped with the same group twenty-five years ago through the Student Council, the fundraising for the ‘Jenn Murphy Scholarship’ began on Murphy's birthday, November 9th, 2020. She was a phenomenally talented dancer, taking classes at the Brattleboro School of Dance and a fierce athlete. Remarkably, she became Southern Vermont League Girls Cross Country Champion her freshman year, qualifying for New Englands. Sadly, she did not get to enter her sophomore year as a champion, and her life was tragically cut short. Jenn's friends, classmates, teammates, family, neighbors and community members far beyond the borders of this town, as well as those who never met her, but wish they had. The response and support has been overwhelming and even comes in the form of private messages. "One stands out as extra poignant," Petit said, " in that there is someone in the community who didn't know her but joined the group to show their own children what real friendship should look like. We are so blown away by the response, and the $10,000 scholarship for the next five years, made by an "Anonymous' donor, was a dream come true." The announcement was made recently in the 'Jenn Murphy Scholarship’ Facebook Group, on Petit's birthday. Jenn clearly touched so many lives and the 'Jenn Murphy Scholarship’ Group on Facebook is a truly touching tribute to this beautiful young girl who’s effect on this town in her short life, was so tremendous. Through stories, clippings, pictures and memories posted each day by Petit, the community has been championing Jenn's memory steadily over the last few months, coming together in a tidal wave of graduating classes, spanning a decade or more, from 1990 through 2000 and beyond.  Twenty-five years later, in an online group with a giant reunion party vibe with substance, rather than a sullen one, (though often heart-felt and touching), this ever-growing community has not only raised an enormous amount of money together for a great cause, but has successfully pulled off a giant pandemic-reunion, safely, while providing a steady stream of much needed human connection and something positive as well as familiar. Hundreds of people have stepped up to to make sure that this scholarship in Jenn’s name, flourishes for generations to come and that this beautiful, talented young is remembered and revered. The GoFundMe for the ‘Jenn Murphy Scholarship’ was created two months ago and had an initial goal of $6,000. By Thanksgiving of 2020, the community had raised double that. By Christmas it broke $15,000 and just after the New Year it reached $20,000. They worked together to meet goals, some people even donating twice, and in less than two months they had raised 20 more years of $1,000 scholarships.  While the community has been selflessly stepping up to make donations, and creating so much positive momentum, an inspired  ‘Anonymous’ donor recently came forward and generously donated $50,000, to be awarded in $10,000 scholarship awards, starting this year, and every year for the next five years.  The entire inspiring endeavor, from start to finish, is catalogued in detail on Facebook, in the ‘Jenn Murphy Scholarship Group,’ which regularly highlights old clippings from the BRATTLEBORO REFORMER as well as personal photographs, music and even FarSide funnies, to illustrate stories that wove the lives of all these people together while they were growing up and and still today. Dialogues spring to life in multiple threads in this new online community, as memories are shared as well as photos accompanying the accomplishments of amazing athletes, artists, musicians and humanitarians in our community, that are so selflessly supporting this scholarship. The Jenn Murphy Scholarship Foundation is still very much welcoming donations through GoFund Me: https://gofund.me/7ae1c8ab