WHO WE ARE
This scholarship was established in honor of Jon Thomas Russell to assist people with disabilities who wish to pursue post-secondary education.
Jon was an exceptional individual who valued learning. He spent much of his time reading, researching, and sharing his passion for learning with others. Jon did not allow his diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to stop him from completing his Associate’s Degree in History and nearly completing a Bachelor’s Degree.
With this scholarship, we hope to not only instill Jon’s passion for learning and knowledge in others, but also share his dedication to making this world a better place.
JON THOMAS RUSSELL AT A GLANCE
Jon Thomas was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in 1992 at the age of two and a half years old after his parents took note of the difficulty he was having learning to stand and walk. Although there was no known cure for DMD, doctors, specialists, and therapists began various treatments to control symptoms and improve Jon's quality of life.
Jon's family, intent on providing Jon every possible opportunity, supported Jon in every way. Including aiding him in pursuing an education, sharing his passion for loving others, valuing his love of music and movies, and encouraging his love of learning.
Throughout his 29 years of life, Jon was able to earn his Associate's degree (and was just 2 credits shy of completing his Bachelor's Degree), was a Poster Child for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, stayed one week at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada with the Thunderbirds (with many thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation), participated in both FFA and JROTC, competed in multiple speech competitions, held an officer position for the community Lyons Club, taught many Bible Studies and Sunday School Classes, and so much more.
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When Jon died on January 1st, 2019 from complications of DMD, his family felt there was no better way to honor his life than by helping others pursue one of the things he enjoyed most - education. Jon's love for learning was evident, but even more evident was his passion for teaching and helping others.
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This scholarship is intended to make obtaining an education more accessible for students with disabilities and continue Jon's belief that every person deserves the chance to reach their potential.
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WHAT IS DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY?
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness due to the alterations of a protein called dystrophin that helps keep muscle cells intact.
DMD symptom onset is in early childhood, usually between ages 2 and 3. The disease primarily affects boys, but in rare cases it can affect girls. In Europe and North America, the prevalence of DMD is approximately 6 per 100,000 individuals.
Until relatively recently, boys with DMD usually did not survive much beyond their teen years. Thanks to advances in cardiac and respiratory care, life expectancy is increasing and many young adults with DMD attend college, have careers, get married, and have children.
Although there currently is no cure for DMD, MDA-supported researchers are actively pursuing several exciting strategies in DMD, such as gene therapy, exon skipping, stop codon read-through and gene repair. Human clinical trials are underway for some of these strategies.
All information provided by: https://www.mda.org/disease/duchenne-muscular-dystrophy
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