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District Grant Request - The Rotary Club of Anthem requests a District Grant of $3,000.00 to augment its annual scholarship program. The Chair of the Rotary Club of Anthem Rotary Foundation Committee, Rick Nollenberger prepared this District Grant request.
The president of the Rotary Club of Anthem is Bill Black; and the Scholarship Committee Chair is Ken Hedman.
Background - The club established the scholarship program for graduating high school seniors shortly after receiving its charter in 2003. Beginning with a single $500.00 scholarship, the program expanded to six scholarships this Rotary year. Budget constraints reduced the awards to five one-year $1,000.00 scholarships for the 2015-2016 Rotary year. All students who are permanent residents of Anthem are eligible to apply regardless of which high school in the region they attend. However, the applicants cannot be related to a member of the Rotary Club of Anthem.
Students who exemplify the ideals of Rotary International are specifically encouraged to apply. An integral part of the application process is writing a cogent, concise essay, the topic of which varies annually and focuses on the Rotary motto of Service Above Self or the Rotary Four Way Test. The Scholarship Committee evaluates applicants based on academic merit, community involvement and extracurricular activities. Additional selection criteria include personal merit and leadership. Applicants need to be accepted for full-time, postsecondary enrollment in the fall at an accredited, community college, 4-year college or university, trade, vocational or proprietary school.
Implementation - This District Grant request will add $3,000.00 to the existing scholarship project for the 2015-2016 Rotary year (which coincides with the academic year for which the scholarships are awarded). The Rotary Club of Anthem will contribute $5,000.00 to the program as budgeted for 2015-16, making the total project $8,000.00. The Rotary Club of Anthem contribution will be 62.5% of the project. Five $1,600.00 scholarships will be awarded to the students at each high school's Annual Honors and Awards Ceremony in May 2015.
Under no circumstances will the Rotary Club of Anthem announce or notify scholarship recipients of any increase until after the District Grant is approved and the funds are received, which is projected for July 2015. At which time the recipients will be notified of the increase and appropriate print, electronic, and social media releases will be made and posted. That information will include the caveat that the increase is a result of a one-time District 5490 Grant to augment the program and may or may not occur in future years.
Each semester, when the Rotary Club of Anthem receives a verification of enrollment, half the scholarship is sent to the Office of Student Financial Services of the student's school. Disbursement of the scholarships begins in August 2015 for the fall semester and will be completed by late February or early March 2016 for the spring semester.
Benefits - Rotary Club of Anthem Scholarships are developed and administered by Rotarian volunteers.
• The goals of the program are to support local youth seeking to further their education and exposed them to activities and programs Rotary offers specifically for children and young adults.
• Each year, Anthem Rotarians welcome the opportunity to present the scholarships at the respective high schools' honors and awards ceremony, congratulate the recipients, and share relative facts about the Rotary Club of Anthem and Rotary International.
• Scholarship recipients are requested to visit the Rotary Club of Anthem between semesters in the year of their scholarship to relate their experiences and goals to Anthem Rotarians.
• Funding of scholarship is from the Rotary Club of Anthem sponsored events such as the Annual Golf Tournament and the Annual 'A Taste of Fall' event.
• Accompanying the scholarship award certificate to each student are pamphlets, flyers and reference materials about Rotary International, Rotoract, student exchange programs and potential graduate level scholarships
• In addition to announcing scholarship details, the media releases provide facts about the Rotary Club of Anthem, Rotary International and Rotary Foundation's charity rating that is the result of its funding model and financial oversight. The intent is to encourage the public to participate in Rotary events and contribute to Rotary Foundation programs and projects.
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