Scholarships awarded in memory of fallen police officer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - A west Alabama non-profit grew the number of scholarships it was able to offer graduating seniors after the brother of one of the organizers was killed in the line of duty as a police officer.

The Croom Foundation started as a small mentoring group to young boys several years ago. Now it does much more to help kids.

The non-profit awarded three $7,500 Kennis Croom Memorial Scholarships to students recently to Talia Kee of Northridge High School, Justin McKnight of Thompson High School, and Tedesia McGuffie of Greensboro High School.

Just one person was awarded a Croom Scholarship in 2022.

Officer Kennis Croom was shot and killed while responding to a domestic incident in Meridian, Mississippi just over a year ago.

“I’m very grateful actually because this will pretty much cover the rest of my balance,” Talia Kee said. “I’m pretty much going to college for free now, so I’m actually very happy.”

Tuscaloosa Central High School’s Rose Hale received the inaugural Lighthouse Award from the Croom Foundation.

“I research the Croom Foundation and I liked the values and morals they stand on,” Hale said. “To be a scholarship winner, I am very grateful for the opportunity. I am very glad that they decided to invest in my future education.”

The Lighthouse Award will pay for her tuition from junior college to graduation at a four-year institution.

The Croom Foundation held a gala in Kennis Croom’s memory to raise money for these scholarships.

For more information about The Croom Foundation, visit thecroomfoundation.com.

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