Mason Casper of Kearney is a recipient of our 2019 Rae of Hope Character scholarship. Mason is a Senior at Kearney Catholic High School and plans on attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney this fall. He was nominated by Josh Arias who is the youth coordinator for the Buffalo County Youth Advisory Board that Mason is a part of. Mason was selected to receive our $1000 character scholarship and was also selected as an alternate to the $2500 McKenna Rae Johnson Memorial Scholarship. His passion for life and mental health really touched our hearts. Congratulations Mason Casper from all of us at McKenna's Rae of Hope Foundation. You truly are a Rae of Hope for those around you and for that we thank and honor you.
Here is what Josh Arias had to say about Mason in his nomination letter:
Mason has been a member of the Buffalo County Youth Advisory Board since 2016 and I have known him since I became the Youth Coordinator at Buffalo County Community Partners in August of 2015. During this time, Mason has attended monthly meetings and he has impressed me with his leadership qualities and team spirit. Mason is regularly the first person to volunteer to help in any way he can. He is deliberate in his thinking, exercises sound judgment, and makes meaningful contributions to our group’s discussions and activities.
Mason's cheerful voice and calm attitude make him a person others can open up to easily. I have been witness to Mason's interactions with new members and I was impressed with his emotional knowledge and his mature thinking. It often makes new members nervous to attend the first meeting of the year, however, I was confident when Mason was part of the meeting because I knew his friendly way of being would help new youth members feel comfortable. Mason is also a person who chooses not to judge others for who they are or what they believe.
As I have gotten to know Mason over the past 4 years, I have found he is a young man who truly wants to make an impact in the lives of those who are struggling. Within the past 2 years, the board set out to combat mental health concerns in our community and Mason took a great interest in helping the community learn more about mental wellness. Mason worked extensively with me weekly to provide youth with Youth Mental health First Aid training in schools and to plan for the youth mental health summit the board completed on March 13, 2018, and he was instrumental in planning the youth mental health summit we are planning for April 4th. Mason’s leadership in our planning meetings was something that I came to expect. His passion for youth mental health has been encouraging. His willingness to give up his Sunday afternoons to work on our youth projects was empowering as his youth coordinator. It is bittersweet to think about Mason graduating this year. His presence on our board will be missed. As his time on our board comes to a close I am deeply excited to see him continuing to progress, but most importantly, I am excited to see how he continues to make a positive impact in the lives of other youth.