Scholarships

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Each year, the West Jersey Reading Council awards a scholarship of $1,000 to support the pursuance of further education in the area of teaching literacy. 

The mission of the West Jersey Reading Council is to promote literacy throughout South Jersey through professional development, active membership, partnerships with ILA and NJLA, and dissemination of pertinent research and practices

WJRC recognizes someone who has made a major contribution to literacy with the Mary Cudemo-Schurig award each May.

A crusader against illiteracy, both in her classroom and in her community, is how Mary Cudemo-Schurig is fondly remembered. Cudemo-Schurig was an educator for nearly half a century, serving students in Camden, Somerdale, and Mount Laurel. She worked at Lenape Regional High School in a variety of roles for more than 30 of her 48 years as an educator. 

She was an advocate for students and adults with literacy challenges, developing programs to engage disenfranchised adolescents, support adult literacy, and make reading the core of all learning. 

In May 1990 at a WJRC-hosted event, Mary was honored with an international literacy award recognizing her lifetime of literacy work. Mary served on the WJRC board for many years promoting the love of literacy. Since her passing in 1993, WJRC has continued to keep her memory and legacy alive with the Mary Cudemo-Schurig award.