Rotary Scholarships
Let’s talk college costs.
Let’s talk scholarships.
Let’s talk about Rotary Scholarships.
We have been awarding college scholarships for 30 years. In those 30 years, we have awarded $3 million dollars in scholarships, assisting 1,700 students. WOW! WHAT AN IMPACT!
A group of Rotarians banded together this year to revive our annual celebration of scholarship recipients after a two year hiatus. Many thanks to Amy Eyman, Judy Root, Cathy Bitler, Makaila Tussing, Stephanie Taylor, Kristin Glasure, John Scaggs and Fairfield County Foundation Program Officer, Abby King. Countless Rotarians also volunteered their time in reviewing student applications and chairing scholarship committees – we are grateful for all of you.
Let’s step back for a moment and consider what college costs are these days…and consider a family sending one, two or three children to college. Are you doing the math in your head? Don’t even try…it is daunting to consider. But, consider we must.
I asked my father how he paid for college and he said that in the late 1960’s he had a railroad job and could fully fund a year at OSU with about three months of work. (He also said that it paid for college costs at the expense of a lousy social life each summer.) I recently relayed this “pay for a years college costs with a summer job” concept to a current college student. She wondered what planet my Dad was living on and figured that a couple weeks work in the summer would maybe pay for a Biology textbook these days.
The railroad story is true and so is the fact that costs are unimaginable. And that is where Rotary comes in. We are not going to pay for a full year at any college but we are going to make a positive difference in some families’ finances and we are going to be saying to students, “You are not making this journey alone. We are with you.”
Recognizing our students who are embarking on an expensive education to prepare for the 21st century is crucial to us Rotarians who are an integral part of our communities. I received a Rotary Scholarship while in college. It was important to our family … and it also meant that Dad didn't have to go back to working on the Railroad, no matter how much he loved it in his college days.
Rotary Scholarship Reception - Tuesday, May 24
Join us to celebrate our student scholarship recipients at Ohio University - Lancaster in their Auditorium Tuesday, May 24 at 6 p.m. dessert reception, 7 p.m. presentation of scholarships.
Hope to see you there!
