The scholarship committee had been discussing an expansion since the previous autumn. Twenty students still received awards each year, but the demand had grown as tuition and transportation costs rose. Bell Construction could increase its contribution, and Catherine proposed that Harbor Trust establish a separately governed community education match funded from an approved charitable budget, with transparent eligibility standards and independent selection. Isaiah agreed on the condition that the additional money not be presented as a gift bestowed by a wealthy shareholder in exchange for public gratitude.
“It should honor the students' work and the people who helped them get here,” he said. “My mother didn't spend twenty-two years driving a bus so I could give a speech about how generous my company is.” The committee expanded the program to forty awards, enough to help students attending community colleges, trade schools, state universities, and accredited training programs. The funding was reviewed by legal and compliance staff so the awards would remain protected regardless of who was managing the branch the following year.
They chose a Saturday in late spring for the first Rose Bell Scholarship Day. The event would take place in the courtyard outside Main Street, where a large open space could accommodate the students and their families without requiring a formal gala. Hannah wanted the ceremony to feel welcoming to people who had never entered a bank headquarters or attended a donor luncheon. She ordered folding chairs, arranged transportation vouchers for families who needed them, and asked local businesses whether they would like to contribute food rather than expensive decorations.
Denise Walker volunteered to coordinate a first-aid table with nurses from the hospital. Carlos Mendoza organized a shuttle route from two neighborhoods with limited weekend service, using a small bus donated for the afternoon by his former employer. Mei Park offered pastries and sandwiches and refused to charge for the first hundred servings. Margaret Hale insisted on bringing lemon cookies because, as she told Hannah, she had been feeding Isaiah since he was small and saw no reason to stop now.
At dawn on the morning of the event, Hannah arrived to find someone already placing chairs in straight rows beneath the courtyard trees. The woman wore plain trousers, sensible shoes, and a light jacket, and for a moment Hannah failed to recognize her. Then Sloan Mercer turned with a folding chair in her hands and said, “I heard you needed volunteers. Mrs. Hale told me where to come.”
Hannah was surprised. Sloan put the chair down carefully and waited for an answer, as though she understood she did not have a right to occupy the space simply because she had once managed the branch. “We could use help setting up the refreshment tables,” Hannah said. Sloan nodded and went to work without asking for recognition. By the time the families began arriving, the chairs were aligned, the signs were standing, and Sloan was carrying trays of water to the volunteers at the entrance.