Rotary Club Of Weston Provides $200,000 To Local High School Students

ROTARY NEWS ROTARY CLUB OF WESTON PROVIDES $200,000

TO LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

By Steve Goldstein, Scholarship Chair, and Deborah O’connor Richman, co-chair, Rotary Club of Weston

On Thursday, May 12th, the Rotary Club of Weston held their Annual Scholarship Awards Breakfast recognizing students graduating from Cypress Bay and Western High Schools, The Sagemont School and HANDY (Helping Abused, Neglected and Disadvantaged Youth). This is the 36th consecutive year that the club has awarded scholarships to students in the community. This year was a record one, awarding nearly 70 students with scholarships valued well in excess of $200,000, thanks to funds raised from the FHV Legal Golf Tournament, chaired by Keith Petron, and the Drawdown Raffle, chaired by Deborah O’Connor Richman. Scholarship Chair Steve Goldstein said “we were able to provide scholarships to students in need thanks to the support of our sponsors, including Freedland Harwin Valori and Ryan, the Golf Title Sponsor for more than 10 years, and major sponsors Gillman Homes, XO, Bank On It, Acuderm, Huntington Learning Centers, Hooters, US Legal Support, and the Mohsin & Fauzia Jaffer Foundation. We couldn’t have achieved this success without the efforts and financial support from members of our club and the hard work and dedication of the members of our scholarship committee.”

The awards were twofold. There were 17 Students-of-the-Month from Cypress Bay and Western High Schools and one Student-of-theYear from the Sagemont School. They were selected by their schools, using their own criteria. Each of these scholars gave a presentation at the Rotary Club and received a certificate and a $250 scholarship. The other awardees, from Cypress Bay, Western, and HANDY, completed a detailed application that included scholastic achievement, community service hours, extra curricular activities and achievements, proof of financial need, and reference letters from teachers and administrators. More than 50 students were interviewed by 9-10 members of the Scholarship Committee, who spent 2 full days out of their busy schedules to evaluate them and make the scholarship determinations. Not only did the students need to demonstrate financial need, but also demonstrate qualities of character, reflecting Rotary’s motto “Service Above Self”.

Awards ranging from $1,000 up to a full 4-year scholarship were awarded to deserving students. This year, the Rotary Club of Weston presented a record number of nine (9) Florida Prepaid Scholarships. These were issued in partnership with the Broward Education Foundation whose mission is “to energize and engage the extended community to transform the lives of Broward County Public School students through the support of quality education”. One of the students who received a full 2-year scholarship came from HANDY, an organization with whom the Rotary Club has worked with for many years. Their mission is “to achieve a positive lasting change for youth by providing life skills, education, and a supportive community”.

Goldstein, who has been the chair of the club’s scholarship committee for the past 15 years said “It is so heartwarming and rewarding to give these scholarships because, without them, many of these students would not be able to go to college. This is why we work so hard to do this”.

▸The Rotary Club of Weston meets Thursdays at 7:30 AM at The Club at Weston Hills. For more info, visit www.westonrotary.com.