The St. Croix Hotel & Tourism Association and the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce have announced they will give away $15,000 in scholarships to six students from St Croix at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, at the Buccaneer Hotel where a check presentation ceremony will take place. In the spirit of community service and as part of their continuing commitment to quality education, the STXHTA Education and Training Fund, which administers the money given in the form of scholarships, was established six years ago.

Scholarship funds derive from the proceeds of the Annual Holiday Hope event which takes place the first Thursday in December. The 6th Annual Holiday Hope, held at The Palms at Pelican Cove on Dec. 1, 2011, raised $19,226 for the scholarship fund as well as other deserving charities. Holiday Hope has raised over $65,000 to date for the scholarship fund. “It was named Richard Patrick Henry Scholarship four years ago to honor the Patrick Henry legacy” said Julie Printy, president of The St. Croix Hotel & Tourism Association. “He was so passionate about creating awareness of the hospitality industry and was committed to educating local Virgin Islanders so they too could take advantage of great opportunities in tourism.”

To much of the world, tourism is the face of the Virgin Islands. We salute the St. Croix Hotel & Tourism Association for recognizing Mr. Henry, an inspiring tourism leader, and at the same time creating a brighter future for our island’s students," said Stuart Logan, president of the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce.