Tuesday, May 26, 2015
CANFIELD
Maria Haynes will start her college career with help from the family of another young woman who once had the same dream as her: to work in the criminal justice field.
Haynes, 17, of Canfield, and a student at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, was awarded the Leslie Marie Demetrios Memorial Scholarship Tuesday.
“My daughter passed away from a drug overdose. ... I wanted to keep her name going,” said Diane Demetrios of Boardman, who now runs Let’s Make a Difference, an organization dedicated to helping young people overcome some of the obstacles with which her daughter struggled.
Leslie died Oct. 20, 2013, at the age of 31.
Diane, who raises funds by selling candy bars at area businesses, gave a $500 scholarship in her daughter’s honor last year; this year the scholarship is for $1,000, thanks to a matching donation from the Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation.
The scholarship is awarded to students graduating from MCCTC’s criminal justice/public safety program, from which Leslie graduated in 2001.
Read more about the scholarship and this year's recipient in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.