HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, NJ —  The Hopewell Township Board of Fire Commissioners has named Sohail Shuaib of the Pennington Fire Company the recipient of the 2026 Chief Matthew G. Martin Scholarship.

The scholarship honors an active member of the Hopewell Valley emergency-services community and grants $1,000 for higher study. The Hopewell Township Board of Fire Commissioners created the award in 2025 to commemorate departed Fire Chief Matthew G. Martin.

Shuaib will begin college in the fall, according to an announcement made by the Hopewell Township Fire District on August 21. The district congratulated him on his prize and wished him well in his future studies.

The scholarship is open to members of the Hopewell Valley fire, EMS and police community, giving the local emergency-services organizations another way to support members pursuing education beyond their service commitments.

The award is named for Martin, who began his fire-service career as a junior firefighter with the Pennington Fire Company in 1990. He later became an EMT, joined the Hopewell Township Fire District and served as chief of emergency services from 2007 until his retirement in December 2024. Township records credit him with 34 years of public-safety service.

Pennington Fire Company is a 100% volunteer fire and emergency-response organization that serves Pennington Borough, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township and surrounding communities. The company reports more than 80 firefighters and members and more than 370 calls for service through July 2026.