FPS staff report
May 12, 2008

Goals designed to define purpose were given by Atty. Sean Smith, president of the Bell-Herron Scholarship Foundation at the Foundation's annual awards ceremony held the evening of May 7 in the high school gymnasium.

Smith, who noted the Foundation's founding was in 1963, told the students and parents attending the event the students are part of Generation Next or "Gen Nexters", the first group of soon-to-be young adults who grew up with personal computers, cell phones and the internet.

"You text message, instant message and e-mail. You are the 'look at me' generation with social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and MyYearbook. You are more likely than my generation to have gotten a tattoo, dyed your hair an unconventional color, or pierced something other than your ear," he told the assemblage.

"Roughly 8 of 10 of you say getting rich is either your most important, or second most important goal in life," Smith added.

As a member of the Foundation's selection committee, Smith said he had the opportunity to interview some of the scholarship recipients "and I know your goals are also to become nurses or teachers or engineers, to get a good job, to be able to live here in northeast Ohio and to raise a family.

"Goals are necessary and wonderful things in our lives. They are like a road map for our lives, but the destination is your purpose," he continued.

"Coach Tony Dungy, whose goal it was to become a great football coach and win a Super Bowl, gives this warning: We have to be careful that we don't let the purpose of our life's goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose," Smith stated.

"So your goals are good, but as a generation that will be facing a world with problems more like your grandparents faced than your parents, let me give you some goals to think about - some goals that will define your purpose," he said.

They included: Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting general equality, reducing child mortality and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

"And these are just a few, there's lots more, including ensuring people have clean drinking water, protecting the environment, and developing alternative forms of energy," he added.

"Your goals are good, but don't limit yourselves. Dream big! Don't think big things can't be done by someone from little old CHS," Smith added.

In reviewing the history of the Foundation, Smith noted it was formed in 1963 by a group of people who got together to honor W. R. Bell and J. Wendell Herron, both former Carrollton schools superintendents, and were able to scrape up $400 for one scholarship.

"Today, the B-H Scholarship Foundation has endowed assets of over $550,000 and tonight will award $52,500. Since its inception a total of $830,000 has been given away," he said.

Still don't think big things can be done by people from little old CHS? Yes we can. And you can too!," he challenged.

Smith urged the students to find their purpose. "The goals I just laid out for you all involve helping others. Your goals don't have to be my goals. But find goals that will link your purpose.

"Why is that important? Your goals lead you to your purpose, your purpose will lead you to happiness and happiness will lead you to true success. I want you to become successful men and women," Smith told the future CHS graduates.

During the program, musical entertainment was provided by Carrie Doak who sang "The Blessing" and Javan Shields, who sang "Always be a Child." Miss Doak and Shields also joined in a duet and sang "The Prayer".