Jacksonville, Fl — We were first introduced to Talen Birt at the 2021 Careathon to benefit the Child Cancer Fund of NE Florida. Talen was a 16-year-old student at Andrew Jackson High School, and lost his battle with bone cancer last August.
His parents, Michelle and Matthew, said Talen was a Superman throughout his journey.
“He said always stay positive and take care of your family and your friends and he looks forward to helping everyone”, said Matthew Birt during the August 20th Careathon.
LINK: Talen’s Warriors 4Ever
A couple of months after his passing, Talen’s parents began to think about ways to help pay things forward for other families in their hometown.
“We were born and raised in the Jacksonville community and feel very fortunate to be able to give back and pay blessings forward. Talen is smiling down from heaven saying a good job and to help as many friends as possible”, said Matthew Birt.
LISTEN: Michelle and Matthew Birt on the creation of Talen Birt College Scholarship
One of Talen’s dreams was to attend Florida State University and major in mechanical engineering. So the Birt’s decided to create a four-year-scholarship to benefit kids at Title 1 schools in Jacksonville.
“So those kids can when they come back from graduating from their four year degree, they can say the Talen Charles Birt Scholarship helped them along the way to achieve their goals”, said Matthew Birt.
The inaugural Talen Charles Birt Scholarship Walk-a-thon is Saturday from 9 am - 1 pm at Andrew Jackson High School football field.
Admission is $30 for adults. A gift of any amount is welcome for students/children.
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