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![](http://civportsmouthd.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2015/06/web1_PrinceHallScholasrship1.jpg)
By Portia Williams
Two residents of Portsmouth are the 2015 Prince Hall Raffle Contest winners, Bill Harmon and Miles Shipp.
“Prince Hall Scholarship Foundation of Ohio was founded in 1981, and to date they has awarded over $825,000 in first time scholarship awards to graduating high school students in the State of Ohio, and Continuing Education awards to full time college students enrolled in four year universities across the USA,” Gary Hairston, treasurer of the Portsmouth Trinity Lodge 9, said.
The Prince Hall Scholarship Foundation of Ohio was founded by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio Free & Accepted Masons, is a charitable foundation certified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation in 1990.
“This is the first time, since I have been a Mason, that Portsmouth was the first and second prize winners,” he said. “We have never received them both at the second time.”
The winner of the May 2015 Raffle Contest first prize is $3000, of which Bill Harmon was the recipient. Harmon purchased his ticket from Ralph Clay, Past Master of Trinity Lodge. The winner of the Raffle Contest second prize was Miles Shipp, who received $1,750. Shipp purchased his ticket from his grandfather, Jerry Woodson, Past Master of Trinity Lodge.
Proceeds from the annual Scholarship Raffle Ticket Contests fund the awarding of scholarships by the Prince Hall Scholarship Foundation of Ohio. As an affiliate of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio, Portsmouth’s Trinity Lodge No. 9 annually supports the Prince Hall Scholarship Foundation by selling the Foundation’s Raffle Tickets.
“The funds for the scholarships come from the selling of raffle tickets,” Hairston said. “They do this every year, they start in the spring and usually they are drawn in the middle of May, in which this year I believe it was May 18th.”
He said the Portsmouth Trinity Lodge 9 is very glad to be a part of such a productive effort that is instrumental in helping students in their educational pursuits.
Reach Portia Williams at 740-353-3101, ext. 1929, or on Twitter @PortiaWillPDT.