The Boothbay Region Student Aid Fund has entered its 51st year of service to the graduates of Boothbay Region High School much the same way the 50th year ended: working to fulfill the mission of the organization.

Recently, the BRSAF Board of Directors welcomed three new members, Louise Cowan, Monica Elder and Jim Newstead.

Cowan, whose hometown was Branford, Conn., lives in Trevett with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Carrie. In addition to volunteering for the Boothbay Region Student Aid Fund, Louise is a member of the Barters Island Community Association and is active as a docent at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and the Boothbay Region Land Trust. After graduating from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C.., she made a career in legal publishing. Now retired, she is an avid gardener and enjoys many outdoor activities including boating.

Edgebcomb residents, Monica Elder and her husband Richard, have two daughters; Hannah, a BRHS graduate, and Gretchen, a member of the class of 2016. Monica has always been active in their girls’ schools and is the chairperson for the BRHS Class of 2016 Project Graduation Committee. Additionally, she is a volunteer at the school and the YMCA. Elder, a Milo native and University of Maine graduate, was previously active at the Boothbay Playhouse as a volunteer house manager and spotlight operator. In addition to her many community interests and involvement, Monica enjoys cooking, photography and travel.

Newstead, along with his wife Mary Lou, is originally from Rochester, New York. Locally, Jim is a substitute teacher at Boothbay Region High School. He retired from Johnson & Johnson and he and Mary Lou, who have two sons, moved to Boothbay as permanent residents. Jim is a graduate of Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y. He currently is a member of the finance committee for the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club. Newstead’s interests include cooking, boating and traveling.

It is the goal of the BRSAF to help offset the financial burden of graduates of BRHS who will be or who are attending any form of post secondary school or training. With the continued and growing support of this community, the Student Aid Fund was able to award over $308,000 in 2015.

Consider that over the past 50 years the cost of tuition and room and board has risen from $1,200 per year at the University of Maine to over $20,000 for Maine residents.

The 2016 Annual Appeal of the Boothbay Region Student Aid Fund is just beginning and is a vital part of the process of financially supporting the mission of the Fund. This appeal is just one of many outreach activities that the BRSAF Board of Directors, including these three new members, will pursue in preparation for assisting BRHS graduates in 2016. Visit www.boothbayregionstudentaidfund.org for more information.