Reading-Berks Association of Realtors® Scholarship Fund

This scholarship was established in 2003 by the Reading-Berks Association of Realtors to recognize outstanding high school seniors who are attending a Berks County high school and will continue their education in a business program.

The fund honors two late leaders in the Berks County real estate community who left a major imprint on their profession. Herbert Bellairs, who died in 2002, was a Realtor for more than 50 years. He founded his own firm and served his profession admirably as president of both the Reading-Berks and Pennsylvania Associations of Realtors. He literally “wrote the book” on real estate procedures, as his Real Estate Fundamentals and Practices is required reading for individuals seeking a real estate license in Pennsylvania. The Bellairs family was instrumental in significantly increasing the value of this fund. Christos Vardaxis, Jr. died in 2003 at the young age of 36 years. A Realtor for only three years, he amassed a record of achievement in his profession that belied his years. He was an active member of his professional association and was a rising leader at the time of his death.

The ideal scholarship recipient will be a student who best exemplifies the legacies of Messrs. Bellairs and Vardaxis: namely an entrepreneurial student with an aptitude for business, a history of leadership in school activities, and a record of service to his or her community.

The fund provides scholarships to seniors at Berks County high schools with financial need who are continuing their education in a business program and who have obtained a high school cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above on a scale of 4.0.