Dr. Harvey A. Allen and his wife, Judy M. Allen spent their lives educating others in various capacities. Dr. Allen recently retired from his life-long career as a professor in the Education Department of the University of South Carolina. At that time he had also taught the JOY Class at Shandon UMC for half a century. His wife Judy had taught the 4 year old class for over 40 years so that together they had taught at Shandon UMC for 90 years. As Dr. Allen approached his 50th year of teaching at Shandon, the JOY Class established the Allen Fund in honor of Dr. Allen and in memory of Judy Allen for their amazing dedication to Shandon United Methodist Church and to teaching. The JOY Class and other grateful church members have contributed to the Allen Fund in hopes of continuing the educational efforts of Dr. and Mrs. Allen at Shandon. The class then organized a committee (hereinafter called the “Allen Committee” or “the Committee”), and charged it with the responsibility of making educational assistance grants to members of Shandon and to Epworth Students in need of such assistance in colleges, technical and professional schools. Such grants are hereinafter referred to “Allen Grants.”

Although the financial amount of Allen Grants may vary from year to year, it is presently contemplated that initially such awards will be no more than $1,000 each but such amount may from time to time be smaller or greater. At the discretion of the committee, multiple awards may be made in each calendar year, depending upon the size of the Allen Educational Fund that year, the financial need of the applicant and on other considerations determined by the
committee. Shandon members and Epworth students may apply for such awards to the Allen Fund Committee of the JOY Class using the application below.

Completed, signed applications may be submitted and will be transmitted to the Allen Committee which will consider every timely and completely completed application. All such applications for the each spring academic semester must be submitted by November 15th of each calendar year, and all applications for the fall academic semester by May 15th of each calendar year. Such applications as the Allen Committee shall approve shall be approved and all successful applicants shall be notified within 30 days after the filing deadline. No other notifications will be made. The attached questionnaire contains additional instructions.

All approved applicants shall be notified within 30 days following the deadline for submissions. The committee will not respond to any post-award questions as all of the information submitted by Applicants is deemed confidential and all committee deliberations are also deemed confidential. The committee also may:

(1)  approve or deny Allen Fund grants requests for any reason or for no reason at all, and

(2) generally limit approval of grants to a maximum of $1,000 although not required to do so, and

(3) in any semester, decline to make any award whatsoever.

(4) In the committee’s discretion, an award may be made in cash, or in the form of a written payment guarantee under which, upon confirmation to the committee that an awardee has been accepted as a student by an educational institution and upon receipt of a request for payment from such institution, the committee shall issue a check to such institution in an amount equal to the lesser of the amount of the award or the institution’s total charges for its services related to tuition and related costs. Such payment guarantee shall be in such form as the committee shall approve.

(5) If no request for payment to an educational institution is received by the committee prior to the awardee’s 21st birthday, the payment guarantee shall forever lapse.

No additional material may be submitted and no such additional material will be considered by the Committee unless requested on the Questionnaire.