Measuing the impact of Mariah’s Challenge

On Monday, we remembered the fateful evening just over 16 years ago on which 14-year-old Mariah McCarthy was struck down and killed by a drunk driver.  We looked at how her Dad, Leo McCarthy, took that horrible event and turned it into a foundation that has provided hope, support and college scholarships to high school students each year.  We asked you to give to Mariah's Challenge in memory of Mariah on Halloween.  We wondered how many lives came to be changed for the better because of Leo and Mariah's Challenge.  It's not just the scholarship money that has been awarded (we'll get to that in a second), but the positivity that comes with leading a chemical-free lifestyle.  There's the money that is not spent on DUI fines and attorneys.  The dividends that have been accrued due to the degrees earned with Mariah's Challenge scholarship money must be staggering.  Because Leo just released the actual number of scholarship dollars that have been given out over the past 16 years and it is mind blowing.

Close to a half million dollars have been given out to graduating seniors who have accepted Mariah's Challenge.  These scholarships have gone to an impressive number of colleges, universities and post-secondary schools, as varied as the students who have earned them.  A lion's share of the scholarship money is being spent right here in Montana but some have gone to such places as Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and even the Berklee College of Music and the United States Coast Guard Academy.

These are impressive numbers for any scholarship fund, but they are made more impressive by the fact that they continue to grow even after 16 years.  Leo has not let Mariah's Challenge fade away with time.  The dollar amount speaks volumes about his mission.  The stuff you can't measure speaks more of him as a person.

Please consider a donation to Mariah's Challenge.