Johnston Lions Club awards Armand Muto Scholarships

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Katerina Athaide and Austin Gosetti weren’t yet born when the Johnston Lions Club initiated the prestigious Armand Muto Scholarships some three decades ago.

But those two recent Johnston High School graduates and six other town residents were on the receiving end of what Lions Scholarship Committee chairman Joseph Sabettta called “free money for college” the other evening inside the Bistro at The Bridge at Cherry Hill.

It was yet another example of the Lions Club giving back to the community.

Club president Joseph Swift welcomed proud parents and four of the eight 2016 Scholarships recipients.

“We are a small club as far as memberships go,” he said. However, tonight we are giving eight scholarships totaling $6,000 … since we started the Armand Muto Scholarships in 1985, we have given over $140,000 in scholarships.”

Sabetta explained how the Armand Muto Scholarships work, and said the club’s money is invested and managed by the Rhode Island Foundation. Likewise, the Lions hold fundraisers that also boost the annual total the club can give.

He said the Armand Muto Scholarships are different from other grants.

“We have a renewal program,” Sabetta said before announcing that four of this year’s eight winners fall into that category. “We think it’s great to be able to follow a student trough his four years of college.”

Take Craig Colson, for example. Last Wednesday, Colson – who is a senior at Bryant University, where he majors in international business – graciously accepted his third Armand Muto Scholarship.

This year’s other renewal recipients were Mackenzie Carroll, a sophomore at Hofstra University majoring in English and film; Justin Gonsalves, a junior at Eastern Connecticut State University majoring in business/marketing; and Briana Thomas, a senior at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy majoring in nursing.

Athaide, who graduated from Johnston High School on June 10, will be a freshman at the University of New Haven, where she’ll major in forensic science. She was joined by three other Johnston graduates as the new scholarship recipients.

The other three winners are Gabriella Florio, who will attend Boston University majoring in biology/pre-medicine; Austin Gosetti, who will attend Bryant University majoring in finance; and Davina Phouthakoun, who will attend Pennsylvania State University majoring in international relations.

“We really enjoy giving these scholarships and honoring our past and present high school graduates,” Sabetta said. “The Johnston Lions Club extends our thanks and appreciation to the management at The Bridge at Cherry Hill for the use of this beautiful facility.”

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