The town of Greece is seeking nominations of 12th-grade students who live in the town for the annual Jerry J. Helfer Youth Engagement Scholarship.
The scholarship recognizes "a student who regularly upholds exemplary moral values, devotes time and energy to serving others, and consistently demonstrates outstanding leadership skills," according to the town. The recipient gets $2,000, and the runner-up gets $500.
Helfer died in 2014 at the age of 48, but he spent the three decades prior working in public service. An obituary in the Democrat and Chronicle notes he began his career in 1989 when he interned for then-Monroe County Clerk Maggie Brooks. He then served as a Greece Town Board member from 1998 through 2008. By then, Brooks had become county executive, and Helfer was tapped to serve as her deputy.
He returned to Greece town government in January 2014 as deputy supervisor. He died later that year.
Nomination criteria and the application are available at greeceny.gov/residents/jerry-j-helfer-youth. The application deadline is May 22.
