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COMMUNITY
California and Oregon Units Announce Annual Scholarship Winners
Two ACA International state units recently announced the winners of
their respective annual scholarships.
At the Oregon Collectors Association’s
(ORCA) spring meeting, held April 15-17,
2010, in Hood River, Ore., 2009/10 ACA
International Vice President Mark Neeb
presented awards to the winners of the
23rd Annual Oregon Collectors
Association Hasson-Newman Memorial
Scholarship Fund. With $7,000 awarded
this year, a total of $150,000 has been
awarded to Oregon graduating high
school seniors since the inception of the
scholarship program in 1987.
This year’s winners are: Katie Merrill
from Hillsboro, Ore. (first place, $3,000);
Matthew Creech from LaGrande, Ore.
(second place, $2,500); and Samantha
Plummer from Florence, Ore. (third place,
$1,500).
This year, the Oregon Collectors
Association received more than 60 entries
for the awards. The competition was
based on an essay, “The Proper Use of
Credit in the 21st Century,” and entrants
are required to attend any Oregon
accredited college or university full time.
A scholarship board read the essays and
chose the three winners. The essays were
read at the scholarship luncheon and
judged by a three-member panel, which
chose the order of the winners. This
year’s judges were Neeb; Mike McCord,
program director from the Division of
Securities Department of Consumer &
Business Services; and State Rep. John
Huffman.
The scholarship fund was named in
honor of ORCA Past President Bob
Hasson, who passed away in 1986, and
Top: CAC member Mel Shaw; scholarship winners
Caitlin Rice, Jocelyn Tang, John Quill and Kris
Davisson; and CAC President Brian Davis.
Bottom: ACA International Vice President and
Oregon Collectors Association first-place scholarship
winner Katie Merrill.
now also honors Past President Roy
Newman, who passed away in 2008. It is
mainly financed through the sale of legal
forms to the collection community.
This program has been an excellent
source of positive public relations for the
Oregon Collectors Association. Having
judges such as state representatives, state
senators, a state secretary, the attorney
general, a Oregon Supreme Court justice
and regulatory directors has helped give
the organization and its legislative efforts
credibility.
