Don Carlson Scholarship Fund
Who Was Don Carlson:
Don was a man who was classically trained in voice
as well as English literature education. He was a
teacher who lived in Stacy Minnesota and worked at
an academy for disadvantaged children. Possessing
a booming baritone voice, he was prone to launch into
lines from one of Shakespeare's many plays or poems
He was a man well versed in the politics of the day,
and he never tired of discussing or debating the twists
and turns of contemporary political thought in the United States
at the dawning of a "new" millennium. He also loved to research
and try to rectify omissions or distortions of what he saw as true
church doctrine within the Catholic Church.
He was a music teacher, a composer of passion plays, a painter, a
carpenter, and a man deeply committed to changing and growing himself
and also to try to change his world for the better, be it through helping
children in the field of education or simply stopping in to see a sick or
injured friend.
Don always pushed himself to learn more in an attempt to heal the structural
damage he had incurred from several automobile accidents. Sometimes, lacking
the energy to sing or to teach, he would pray and ask spirit to help him heal
and to give him the strength to continue on. On many occasions, he would drive
late at night to relax, and to help him get closer to God and an experience of inner peace.
On one such night, Don was hit and killed by a drunk driver one mile from his
home as he returned from a drive in the country. He was taken to a small town
hospital near the accident scene but died in the early morning hours on an
evening in June of 2002.
Don exemplified the spirit and determination to heal that we wish all of our
clients possessed. Because of his tenacity and sincere commitment to get better
and move on in his life, I believe he was able to gain a level of mobility and
healing that he would not have obtained otherwise. Indeed, despite the depression,
discouragement and pain he experienced on an often daily basis, he was able to
progress far beyond what some might have predicted for him. Through study and
observation of the principles and modalities used by his health care practitioners,
he was able to become an expert on his body in his own right. His contribution
during sessions and his understanding of what he needed during sessions was invaluable
to his progress.
The Scholarship Fund Screening Process:
It is with these healing principles and commitments in mind that we have created
the Don Carlson Scholarship fund to assist in the healing of certain select and
committed people who come to us for help. Don did not have a lot of money but he
rationed his finances to make sure he was able to pursue the Rolfing, Bonnie Pruden
or Chiropractic sessions that did him so much good. Because of Don's courage and
commitment, we wish to give back to individuals who are in need of healing services
but who may not posess sufficient or even any funds at all with which to pay for sessions.
Several times per year, based on need, commitment and the feasibility that our work
might help a particular client, we offer a series of sessions to qualified individuals
free of charge. To qualify, an individual needs to fill out an application, meet
with us, and then be considered as a potential recipient of the scholarship. If you
are such an individual, and if you are truly sincere about wanting to change and heal
your body, emotions or spirit, please contact us through the "Contact Us" page and we
will get back to you. We will forward you an application. Once we receive the application
back, we will contact you regarding the availability of the scholarship fund and further
steps in the screening process. Not everyone is accepted for this scholarship.
Decisions regarding acceptance are ours alone but always are modeled after the
values, personal integrity and commitment exemplified by Don Carlson.