The Mike Thomas Memorial Beekeeping Scholarship:
Stewarding the next generation of beekeeping excellence.
In the 1960s, Mike Thomas took his beekeeping hobby from passion to profession in rural Columbia County, FL. Thomas quickly expanded his bee business from 600 to 1,600 colonies of honeybees. Thomas Honey Company continues to sell honey and beeswax sourced from wild forest growth in North Florida and the orange groves of Central Florida, products which were the foundation on which Mike built his business. Along the way, Thomas shared his passion and mentored countless future beekeepers, becoming an icon in the beekeeping community.
In addition, his generosity of knowledge and decades-long friendship with John David Peterson allowed Peterson to expand World Honey Market into a thriving beekeeping company. Both Thomas Honey and World Honey Market aim to honor Mike Thomas' legacy by continuing his lifelong altruistic spirit.
Thomas Honey and World Honey Market are offering two (2) semi-annual scholarships to prospective beekeepers or small-scale existing beekeeping operations for the 2022–23 academic year. These scholarships will be awarded to prospective and mid-level beekeepers to help further the next generation of apiary ventures.
The selection committee for this scholarship consists of Kortney Stewart (Thomas Honey) and John David Peterson (World Honey Market). This scholarship was made possible through a memorial fund set up to honor the life and legacy of Thomas Honey founder Mike Thomas and a continued commitment from both partnering companies.
Application process:
● Applications open in August of 2022 for the fall award cycle.
● 250-1000 word essay on "How The Mike Thomas Memorial Beekeeping Scholarship would impact your beekeeping journey."
● Completed application form
● Deadline is October 15, 2022, for the fall award cycle
Recipients of The Mike Thomas Memorial Beekeeping scholarship will:
● Be awarded $1,000.00
● Be featured on partner channels
● Receive mentorship from Thomas Honey and World Honey Market staff
Scholarship awardees are required to:
● Provide documentation of scholarship use or immediate intent within one (1) year of receipt
● Share their beekeeping story and experience on the channels of the scholarship partners
To be eligible for The Mike Thomas Memorial Beekeeping Scholarship, you must:
● Be an individual or entity (clubs, associations, etc) aged 14+
● Currently reside in FL
● Have an expressed interest in a hands-on beekeeping experience
● Not be an affiliate, employee, or immediate family member of the selection committee members