The Salvation Army Lancaster Corps' mission is to do the most good. That includes financial aid for county students seeking to further their educations at college.

Recently, the Salvation Army Lancaster Corps awarded its annual Olga Ruth Stratton and Thomas E. Wolf scholarships to 20 seniors from 13 Lancaster County high schools. The students formally accepted their scholarships at a special awards dinner on April 27 at Eden Resort and Suites, 222 Eden Road, Lancaster.

Recipients and their high schools were Nicole Chen, Penn Manor; Mina Cooper, Dayspring Christian Academy; Savannah Henschel, Warwick; Natalie Klecker, Anchor Christian Academy; Ethan Lin, Hempfield; Kieran McFall, Penn Manor; Caitlyn McGough, Penn Manor; Mercyangelis Morillo, Columbia; Connor Nimmon, Hempfield; Luke Pagilia, Hempfield; Abigail Phillips, Conestoga Valley; Maximillian Ponton, Penn Manor; Tobias Reiff, Lancaster Mennonite; Heavynn Rodriguez, J.P. McCaskey; Savannah Stauffer, Ephrata; Alana Stoltzfus, Lancaster Mennonite; Hagen Supeck, Lampeter-Strasburg; Lily Troutman, Elizabethtown; Avante Webb, J.P. McCaskey; and Hanna Weller, Cocalico. Each student received $2,000 in scholarship monies.

"Our mission is to help people in need," said Shady Boules, the operations and development manager for the local Salvation Army. "With the scholarships, our focus is to help students and their families. Everyone is welcome to apply. If students need help to go to college, we're there for them."

To apply for the Salvation Army scholarships, students must be residents of Lancaster County, and they must be high school seniors with GPAs of 2.0 or higher who are going on to college and can demonstrate a financial need. After the students submit a 500-word essay and are interviewed by a selection committee, the winners are chosen.

"We believe a lot of students don't have the confidence to go to college because of the financial responsibilities associated with it," said Boules. "Going to college isn't cheap. We want to be part of the encouragement, the support. We believe in the next generation. We believe in education. And when we help these students, we hope that they will be motivated to give back to the community."

Boules said that the scholarship's number of applicants and number of recipients varies from year to year. But over the 24 years that the scholarship has been in existence, the Salvation Army has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to county students in need.

"We see the need as being bigger every year," said Boules. "People used to be able to afford college. We're trying to secure donors because we want to see it continue. When you see the impact it has on students, you know it's worth it. You're changing lives."

The Salvation Army Lancaster Corps also helps with things like rent assistance, utility assistance, and social services and works closely with other community organizations to promote the greater good.

"The Salvation Army is here for everyone, regardless of language, ethnicity or background," said Boules. "We want people to support the Salvation Army and to be part of the movement."

For additional information on the Salvation Army Lancaster Corps, go to http://www.pa.salvationarmy.org/lancaster-pa/.