Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation, Inc. awards $72,000 in ‘Finish Line’ Scholarships to WCC
The Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation awarded $72,000 in one-year ‘full ride’ scholarships to 20 students of Washtenaw Community College in an enthusiastic awards ceremony held at the Kiwanis Activities Center on Monday, October 21, 2019. A number of student recipients were able to address the crowd to share in the excitement!
This innovative program was funded by the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation, its Members and Volunteers and the Ray and Eleanor Cross Foundation. It was created in cooperation with the Washtenaw Community College Foundation and is designed to make sure former Ann Arbor High School students with limited financial resources will achieve their dream of receiving a college degree.
The Kiwanis “Finish Line” program is providing twenty “full ride” scholarships to two separate groups of students. Eight scholarships are designated for high school seniors from each of the five Ann Arbor Public School’s 2019 senior classes.
Each scholarship is for $3,500, which will cover tuition, books, and fees, for one year at WCC. The scholarship recipients were chosen by the WCC Foundation in cooperation with the counselors at each high school. Students completing each semester of classes successfully may qualify for additional semesters of funding to attain their Associate Degrees.
A second group of twelve “full ride” scholarships were designated for students who have already successfully completed one year at WCC, but who would be unable to complete their education without additional financial support. Each of these scholarships is also for $3,500. These students have already proven they can succeed in their college level studies. This makes it especially important that Kiwanis assistance be there to help each of them cross the “Finish Line” and achieve the significant life goal of a college degree.
As part of the “Finish Line” program, the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation has also contributed $2,000 to the Washtenaw Community College Foundation Student Emergency Fund. This fund was created to support students who have a significant financial event during the academic year that could cause them to drop out of school. Total funding support for the entire Scholarship program for the 2019-2020 academic year is $72,000. The program hopes to help many more students successfully cross the “Finish Line” long into the future.
Both the Kiwanis Club and Foundation have a long tradition of supporting children and families in need within our Community. In addition to monetary support, they also provide gifts of merchandise to identified families and many non-profit agencies. This combined support now totals over $7,200,000 since 1921.
For information about the Kiwanis Thrift Sale, becoming a volunteer and/or member, please contact Mary Schwartz, Kiwanis Administrative Assistant at 734-368-9738, or visit our website at www.a2kiwanis.org.
