The Ryan Christopher Hersh Memorial Scholarship Fund is in memory of Ryan, an active participant in Hands4Hope who passed away at the age of 18. Ryan participated for years, assisting with food collection and distribution, homeless outreaches, and mentoring children at a local food and clothing distribution site. Ryan was a kind and gentle young man who served with love, respect, and an open heart.
Honoring and Remembering Ryan with a Scholarship
To honor Ryan and his love of serving, his grandparents Nancy and Darwin Myers and Sharon and Dick Tietgens created this fund so that others with financial hardships may explore needs in their community and have the opportunity to take action in their own way, as Ryan did through Hands4Hope.
They also wanted young people to be able to explore their own strengths, whether it be sports, art, music, leadership, or something else, through local summer camps. Ryan was an avid athlete with a passion for football and lacrosse.
The Hands4Hope Ryan Christopher Hersh Memorial Scholarship Fund is designed to benefit youth in grades K-12 with financial hardships. Scholarships are allocated as follows:
- Most of the fund is used toward funding summer camp experiences that develop an interest or skill for children whose families struggle financially and would not otherwise be able to attend a camp.
- A portion of the Fund is designated for scholarships for youth wanting to participate and serve in Hands4Hope’s outreach programs, paying the cost of registrations and supplying youth with a Hands4Hope t-shirt, and funding leadership camp scholarships.
The allocation of the available funds each year is managed by the youth-led Hands4Hope Ryan Christopher Hersh Scholarship Committee. This committee forms in February and meets regularly through June to determine that year’s criteria, advertise the scholarship, review applications, and award funds.
About 6 years ago you gave my son a scholarship to go to a camp he desperately wanted to go to, I but could not afford.
As a single mom it breaks your heart when your child has a passion and you want to nurture it because you see it make a difference in your child’s life.
Well I am happy to report at 19 years old he is now coaching kids using some of the skills he learned about. He is a favorite coach to the point he is most requested, gets the most coaches thank you, parents from other teams have walked up to him asking his name and how much they enjoy watching his energy and laughing they want to request to be on his team for the next season.
Your scholarships MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!! Thank you so much for helping my child when I could not.
Ryan Christopher Hersh Scholarship News
Congratulations to the participants in the 2025 Ryan Christopher Hersh Memorial Scholarship Committee for completing