Connor James Runkle

San Diego businessman and philanthropist David Malcolm is proud to award the Spring 2024 David Malcolm Scholarship to Connor James Runkle.

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 19, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Community-minded businessman David Malcolm created the David Malcolm Scholarship in 2021 to help students overcome challenges that could prevent them from meeting their education and career goals. Since then, the scholarship program has attracted hundreds of deserving applicants. Choosing which ones to receive the $2,500 award is a difficult yet rewarding task for Malcolm.

The first Spring 2024 recipient, Connor James Runkle, is an active-duty Air Force airman currently serving on the East Coast. Runkle’s winning essay highlights the need for better mental health resources to support U.S. veterans, noting that suicide claims the lives of more than 22 veterans every day.

While the Veteran’s Administration recognizes the epidemic of mental health issues and the high rate of suicide among veterans, critical support systems that could provide significant relief are sometimes still lacking.

After experiencing the loss of his best friend and fellow airman to suicide, Connor was moved to personally help improve the services military personnel and their family members depend on for mental health support. However, the dilemma he faced was that even one unfavorable mental health assessment could derail a military career. Consequently, he developed a program known as Sean’s Room, which enables those in need to seek support anonymously.

Connor and his team faced several obstacles in establishing their program, including skepticism about the need and fighting some of the common stigmas surrounding mental health. Despite the pushback, Sean’s Room officially launched in July 2023 and has already welcomed over 1,200 guests of all ranks, career fields and sexual orientations.

Thanks in part to his success with Sean’s Room, Connor has been granted permission to take a break in service to complete his bachelor’s degree coursework. His long-term goal is to serve as an officer in the Air Force and continue helping his military brothers and sisters get the help they need when mental health concerns arise. The financial aid provided by the David Malcolm Scholarship will help him to earn his degree to meet this goal.

The David Malcolm Scholarship is intended to assist motivated individuals like Connor James Runkle. The scholarship was originally awarded annually and this year will be awarded twice –in spring and in fall. It is open to high school students, those who have been accepted to an accredited college or university, and current higher education students. A minimum GPA of 3.5 is required to apply, along with a personal essay describing the challenges faced and how the scholarship will help overcome those.

Learn more about the David Malcolm Scholarship by visiting the official website.

About David Malcolm
David Malcolm is a San Diego-based entrepreneur, real estate expert, and community leader. Having a long and successful career in real estate, he believes deeply in giving back. Among his various philanthropic endeavors, he is most passionate about helping provide higher education opportunities to youth and assisting the homeless in getting their lives back on track. He and his wife Annie also support two San Diego gymnasiums and other charitable nonprofits.

Peter James MacCracken
Strategic Communications
+1 619-275-4110
pjm@strategic-communications.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.