Jean Ray Scholarship Fund

04/06/2026

Help us spread the word!

This scholarship is available to Haverhill High School seniors who plan to enroll in a 2-year or 4-year college or university following graduation.

Application deadline: April 30, 2026.

Please share to spread the word on this great opportunity!

Application Deadline. The application deadline is April 30th of the year the scholarship is awarded.

04/06/2026

Help us spread the word!

Application Deadline. The application deadline is April 30th of the year the scholarship is awarded.

03/02/2026

Celebrating Read Across America, one of Jean’s favorite days of the year.

In honor of Jean’s lifelong love of literacy, the Jean Ray Scholarship Fund donated a copy of Mr. Ferris and His Wheel to every Haverhill Public Schools kindergarten classroom.

Jean believed deeply in the power of reading to spark curiosity and confidence in young learners. Whether visiting classrooms or sharing stories with students, she knew that books open doors.

We’re proud to continue her tradition of supporting literacy and putting stories into the hands of the next generation.

03/01/2026

Applications are now open for the 2026 Jean Ray Scholarship.

This scholarship is available to Haverhill High School seniors who plan to enroll in a 2-year or 4-year college or university following graduation.

Application deadline: April 30, 2026.

Please share to spread the word on this great opportunity!

Application Deadline. The application deadline is April 30th of the year the scholarship is awarded.

02/20/2026

Our 2025 Year in Review is here.

Thanks to the generosity and support of our community, the Jean Ray Scholarship Fund was able to achieve so much in 2025.

We are proud of what we accomplished together and grateful to everyone who donated, volunteered, and partnered with us.

Take a look at our Year in Review and celebrate the moments that made 2025 so special.

2025

12/02/2025

It’s Giving Tuesday. ❤️

Today is a reminder that meaningful giving doesn’t have to be big. Five dollars, a warm meal, an hour of your time, a kind word offered at the right moment. Small gestures add up in ways we don’t always see.

If you can, take a moment to support a cause that matters to you. Maybe it’s the one that carried you through a tough season, the one that brings someone you love to mind, or the one quietly making a difference in your community.

There are countless organizations making life a little better for someone. Let’s help them keep going.

11/30/2025

Today marks two years since we lost Jean.

There are still no perfect words to capture the kind of person she was. Generous, quick-witted, fiercely loyal, and deeply rooted in her community. She had a way of showing up exactly when you needed her, whether it was saving a newspaper clipping for you, dropping off a tray of cookies, surprising you with a bunch of flowers on your porch, leaving printed photos in your mailbox that you didn’t even know she’d taken, or mailing a card for every holiday, without fail.

We miss her every day. We also see her everywhere: in the kindness of others, in a good story passed along, in the joy of giving, and in the quiet moments where her absence sits the heaviest.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Jean Ray Scholarship Fund over the past year. It means so much to carry her spirit forward in ways that continue to help others.

So today, in whatever way feels right, we invite you to raise a glass, light a candle, or share a memory. Here’s to Jean, for all she gave, all she captured, and all the love she left behind.

11/26/2025

🦃 The day before Thanksgiving always brings back two classic Jean traditions…

First up: the KISS 108 Turkey Toss. If you were one of her seniors, you definitely got roped into it. She made sure you showed up ready — with practice rounds in the parking lot, actual frozen turkeys in hand, and all the team spirit you could handle before 6 AM

And of course, nothing topped a win against our Thanksgiving Day rivals. This photo of Jean on the field with the football team after one of those victories says it all, and yes, that’s her best friend and partner in crime, Marilyn Caradonna, right beside her.

She made these moments bigger, funnier, and more memorable than they had any right to be. And she made sure everyone around her felt part of it.

Wishing everyone safe travels, warm tables, and a little extra school spirit this Thanksgiving.

11/19/2025

The Haverhill's Lorraine Post 29 VFW Santa Parade has always been one of Haverhill’s most joyful traditions, a day that brings out community spirit in the simplest and best ways. It was also one of Jean’s favorite days of the year. She loved the energy, the families lining the streets, and the way the whole city came together.

This season, many local families are navigating a more challenging winter, and our food pantries are seeing higher demand. The need for support has grown across our community.

The Jean Ray Scholarship Fund is proud to donate to the Betsy Conte Food Drive in Jean’s memory. The drive honors the life of Conte, a former Haverhill city councilor and community activist who dedicated herself to helping families in need. Jean believed in showing up for others, and we are honored to carry that forward.

If you are planning to enjoy the parade, we invite you to join us. The food drive has a float in the parade collecting donated items. Bring a non-perishable food donation to help fill shelves and support families who need a little extra care right now. Every item makes a difference.

Let’s make this year’s Santa Parade not only a celebration, but a reminder of what Haverhill does best: taking care of one another.

10/31/2025

🎃👻 Happy Halloween from the Jean Ray Scholarship Fund! 👻🎃

If you knew Jean, you knew Halloween wasn’t just a holiday, it was a production.

Every year, she’d dress up not just herself but other people’s dogs in coordinated costumes, wrangle them into a photo shoot, and then send out Halloween cards that were somehow equal parts ridiculous and perfect.

She brought so much joy and creativity to the everyday, and this is one of the many little traditions we miss most.

Wishing everyone a day filled with laughter, a little chaos, and at least one costume that makes you do a double take - just the way Jean would’ve wanted. 🧡