Helen S. Randles Scholarship Closing in on 50 Years of Awarding Area Students

By Benny Fairchild

Each year for nearly 50 years the Society of the United Helpers has awarded scholarships to graduating seniors from St. Lawrence County who are planning to further their education and enter the health care field.

The Helen S. Randles Scholarship was first awarded in 1977 following its creation by Mrs. Randles, a 45-year volunteer for the United Helpers Organization.

Over the years Mrs. Randles served as Society Board President on multiple occasions. She also chaired the building committee when the United Helpers Nursing Home, later known as United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care, was first built. 

Mrs. Randles (third from left)

She greatly valued education and established the scholarship as a way to assist local students in pursuing health care careers. Past winners include students who would go on to become United Helpers employees, as well as some students who were employed by the organization at the time they were awarded.

Scholarships are awarded during a ceremony held each June where the winners and their parents are joined by scholarship committee members and dignitaries from the United Helpers organization.

After no ceremony in 2020, an in-person celebration
was again held in 2021.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual ceremony was held in
2020 and scholarship checks were mailed to the recipients.

Mrs. Randles was a true believer in the United Helpers Always Caring philosophy, even though the motto wouldn’t be officially connected with United Helpers until long after her passing.

Since the scholarship was first presented, more than 120 students have gone to college with the aid of Mrs. Randles and the legacy of caring she left behind, creating a small army of workers dedicated to spreading the mission of Always Caring, regardless of where their careers taken them.