Johnston Lions Club presents Armand Muto Memorial Scholarships

To say that the Johnston Lions Club added another great chapter to its storied history last Wednesday evening would be an understatement.

Although the club is small in numbers, the ageless non-profit – which has been giving back to the community in a number of ways for more than a half-century – dished out some big bucks to seven deserving high school students during a special ceremony co-hosted by The Bridge at Cherry Hill.

The money came in form of college scholarships, named in memory and honor of late club member Armand Muto, from a fund that is perhaps as unique as the resumes of the 2014 recipients.

When the late Muto passed away back in the 1980s, his family, through his wife, decided to start a scholarship fund in his name.

“All the money from the Muto family is in a fund with the Rhode Island Foundation,” Lions Club president Joseph Swift told recipients and their parents. “Each year we try to match whatever the fund has generated in revenue.”

Last Wednesday evening, the club presented a total of $5,000 in scholarships, which Swift explained will be paid by the Rhode Island Foundation directly to the bursar’s offices at the respective colleges at which the seven recipients will enroll in September.

The club believes in presenting sizeable scholarships that will help the students with today’s skyrocketing cost of post-secondary education.

“We could pass out a number of $200 scholarships,” said Joseph K. Sabetta, a CPA and chairman of the club’s scholarship committee. “But that’s not going to buy too much in today’s world.”

Thus, the club this year presented three $1,000 scholarships and four $500 awards based on the students’ needs, grades, resume, school of choice and other factors. Each applicant must also be a Johnston resident.

“We use a special evaluation process for our scholarships,” Sabetta said, adding that this year the club received 17 applications. “It’s a very fair system, as well. For example, I have two children in college and they’re not eligible because I am a member of the club.”

Ryan Silva, the valedictorian for Johnston High School’s class of 2014, headed the list of this year’s scholarship winners.

The son of Craig and Karen Silva, Ryan received a $1,000 grant and will enroll at Providence College, where he’ll major in biology and pre-medicine.

Brieana Thomas, another member of the Johnston High class of 2014, and Johnston resident Justin Gonsalves – who recently graduated from Classical High School in Providence – were also recipients of $1,000 scholarships.

Thomas, who was accompanied by her grandmother Frances DeSimone, is headed for the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Gonsalves, who was joined by his mother Nina, will enroll at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, where he’ll study sports and leisure management.

Students who received $500 Armand Muto Memorial Scholarships were Reid Boehm, Rachelle Boehm, Craig Colson and Matthew Courchaine.

Rachelle Boehm, a member of the Johnston High class of 2014 who was accompanied by her parents Russell and Rachelle Boehm, will enroll at the University of Rhode Island to study psychology. Her brother Reid, who was unable to attend and is a recent graduate of Classical High School, will be a film major at URI.

Colson, who was accompanied by his mother Anissa, is headed for Bryant University in Smithfield, where he’ll major in fine arts. Courchaine, who was also unable to attend, will be a sophomore at URI in the fall as a finance major.

“We, the members of the Johnston Lions Club, are proud to present these memorial scholarships to our class of 2014,” said Swift. “We wish each and every student continued success as they embark on another journey in their young lives.”