Erin Tierney Kramp Foundation
About the Foundation
In addition to providing for tuition and books, the Foundation also creates one-on-one mentoring relationships and enrichment activities between recipients of the Erin Tierney Kramp scholarship and ETK Board members to promote academic, career and personal development.
Our Story
ETK Board members act as mentors for scholarship recipients and are assigned one or more students at the beginning of each semester. Recipients will rotate to a new mentor at the beginning of each semester, providing an option opportunity for interaction between various recipients and mentors.
Our Purpose
The purpose of the ETKramp Mentorship Program is to provide a resource for recipients to help empower themselves, so they will rise to their fullest academic and personal potential and to meet the challenges of society. The outcome of the relationship is expected to benefit all parties in the relationship (albeit at different times) for personal growth, career development, lifestyle enhancement, goal achievement, and other areas mutually designated by the mentor and recipient.
Mentors provide recipients with support, friendship, counsel, on-going encouragement and reinforcement, and constructive examples for student success.
Mentors
- Provide a supportive relationship with the scholarship recipients
- Respond to emails and phone calls in a timely manner
- Provide options and alternatives to recipients’ questions and concerns
- Strive to ensure a positive and successful program for participants
- Support and offer sincere recognition for the recipient’s goals and achievements
- Help the recipient make a “soft landing” and learn from mistakes or experiences
Mentee
- Communicate with mentor on a regular basis providing updates on progress during the semester
- Share questions or concerns
- Respect mentor’s time; keep emails brief and to the point
- Respond to emails and phone calls in a timely manner
History
The Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Endowed Scholarship was established in 1999 by the ETK Encouragement Foundation and the Dallas/Fort Worth Private Equity Forum in memory of a courageous individual, Erin Tierney Kramp. In 1994, Erin Tierney Kramp was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33. Soon after her diagnosis, Erin decided to fight cancer head-on. Erin began by searching for medical specialists often calling and flying all over the country to seek their knowledge and advice. She studied alternative treatment plans and examined state of the art, sometimes unproven methods, to battle the disease. Erin’s tenacity often frustrated her medical doctors and sometimes resulted in seeking new ones who were up to the challenge Erin demanded. With no map to guide her, she set her own course.
Erin embarked on an aggressive treatment plan and over the next few years faced one medical adversity after another, her body often shutting down while her mind continued to race forward. Always demonstrating tremendous courage, perseverance and spirituality, Erin never shied away from her challenge. Throughout this struggle, Erin touched many lives and was an inspiration to those who knew her and to millions who read her book, Living with the End in Mind, or saw her on national television programs such as “20/20” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. She was also featured on the national broadcast of James Dobson’s “Focus on the Family” radio show.
The Erin Tierney Kramp Program awards scholarships to students based upon their courage and perseverance in the face of adversity. Eligible applicants include high school seniors who will graduate in the spring and current students attending Dallas County College. Recipients of the Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Endowed Scholarship will receive funds for tuition and books for six consecutive semesters beginning with Fall.