Scholarships

All Hallows High School

111 164th Street

The Bronx, NY

10452

CO DAVID J. LEAHY SCHOLARSHIP David J. Leahy, a Correction Officer for 29 years and Emerald Society Irishman of the Year founded the Emerald Society Scholarship program in 1972. Dave continued to run the Emerald Society scholarship program with his wife, Peggy Anne Leahy, until he died in 2005. Dave proudly served in the US Army from 1951 to 1953, was an usher at St. Eugene’s RC for 39 years, and was an active member of the Holy Name Society, Emerald Society, Parents Association of Iona Prep & Ursuline School, and the Henry S. Richards Little League. In addition, Dave was instrumental in creating and passing Kiernan’s Law, named in honor of his grandson Kiernan Dunne, which provided the ability to do backgrounds on caregivers. Dave was born and raised in Abbeyfeale, County Limerick, Ireland, and emigrated to the US in 1948.

The Applicant must be a son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, sibling (brother or sister), niece, or nephew of a Regular Member as defined in the By-Laws of the NYCD Emerald Society Inc. In addition, the Applicant’s sponsor must be a member of the Society in good standing at the time of the application and for two consecutive years before January 1 of the year to the 2025 examination. Exception: a member of NYCD who has joined the Emerald Society within one year and who otherwise meets the requirements stated may be considered eligible.

The Applicant must be in the 8th grade and entering Catholic/Private high school for the 2025-2026 school year. The scholarship award is sent directly to the Applicant (s) High School’s account. The Award recipient(s) are selected based on a written test conducted by the Scholarship Committee on March 1, 2025. The last day to submit this application is February 27, 2025.

If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact the Scholarship Chairman, Brian J. Sharkey,

One scholarship award of $1250 (1 to 6 applicants)
Two scholarship awards of $1250 (7 applicants or more)

The exam is on the first Saturday in March.

APPLICATION MUST BE FILED BY FEBRUARY 27, 2025

TEST DATE MARCH 1, 2025

Regular and Associate members of the Emerald Society in “good standing” are eligible for the NYC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and NCLEES Scholarships.

NYC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Scholarship 2025

FRANCIS P. BEIRNE SCHOLARSHIP
Francis P. Beirne was the Chairman of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the 1990s. He was a man of immense popularity with the Parade organizations and is best known as the person who protected and saved the Parade at a difficult time. He was from Carrick-on-Shannon Co. Leitrim and was a strong supporter and friend of John Cardinal O’Connor and the Church.

MARGARET O’ROURKE SCHOLARSHIP
Margaret O’Rourke was the Parade Secretary in the 1980s & 1990s and a close friend of Francis P. Beirne. Both worked together in protecting the Parade. Margaret was known as a compassionate and gracious lady who worked diligently behind the scenes for the Parade. She attended many advisory meetings and helped guide Parade matters at a difficult time in the Parade’s history.

JAMES and ROSEMARY LOMBARD SCHOLARSHIP
James and Rosemary Lombard actively participated in the preservation and promotion of Irish heritage and culture in the Tri-State area. Jim Lombard most recently served as a member of the Parade’s Board of Directors, and throughout his life, as a staff member at the NYC Council President’s office, and on the boards of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center, Daxor Corporation and the Mayo Society. He was a member of the Cork Association of NY; Div. 3 NYCo AOH; The Ireland-U.S. Council and The Knights of St. Patrick. Rosemary was a founding member and President of the American Irish Teachers Association; a member of the board at the Emerald Isle Immigration Center; she chaired the Irish History Essay Contest of the United Irish Counties Association of New York, Inc. and was an active member of the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade where she served as Treasurer and member of the scholarship committee.

AWARD AMOUNTS

FOR COLLEGE-LEVEL ESSAYS
There will be one award for each of the above-named scholarships in the amounts of $4,000, $3,000, $2,000, and $1500 Determination of amount will be based on those achieving first, second, third, or fourth place in the contest based on scores of the independent judges

FOR HIGH SCHOOL-LEVEL ESSAYS
There will be one award for each of the above-named scholarships in the amounts of $2,000, $1,500, $1,000, and $750. Determination of amount will be based on those achieving first, second, third, or fourth place in the contest based on scores of the independent judges.

ST. PATRICK FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
There will be two awards at the College level in the amounts of $4,000 and $3,000 and two awards at the high school level in the amounts of $2,000 and $1,500. Determination of the amount will be based on those achieving first and second place in each contest level based on scores of the independent judges. Applicants must write their essay based on the topic assigned to their respective educational level (college or high school).

Applicants must have completed and emailed their research paper with the official application form scanned and attached no later than Tuesday, APRIL TBA, 2025, at 11:00 pm.

All winners will be announced in May 2025.

*Parade Scholarship Application has not been posted yet*

NCLEES College Scholarship

The National Conference of Law Enforcement Emerald Societies will award four scholarships to eligible students. Students must be in their senior year of High School and planning to attend College on a full-time basis for the 2025-2026 school year and must be the child of a member in good standing of any member organization that is in good standing a member of NCLEES.

Only one application per student is allowed; however, more than one student per family may apply. The scholarship winners will be selected (by lottery) at the May 2025 NCLEES meeting.

Download Application

If you have any questions about our scholarship programs, please contact

Brian J. Sharkey, Scholarship Chairman

NYCD EMERALD SOCIETY INC.
501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization EIN:85-3661787