FLORENCE — After seeing a similar plan by a Rotary Club in Hopkinsville, Ky., the Florence and Greater Shoals Rotary clubs established the Shoals Scholar Dollars program 14 years ago to help local students continue their education.
“That Kentucky town supported two high schools, but the local Rotary clubs here wanted to do it for 17 schools,” Shoals Scholar Dollars Executive Director Burt Helton said. “As far as we know, other than us and Kentucky, there is no other program like this in the U.S.”
To date, Shoals Scholar Dollars has helped 2,000 students attend college and is close to hitting $3 million in total fundraising.
To help the fundraising, the organization is hosting a Legends Concert Series that will bring iconic performers to the Shoals area.
The inaugural concert will be headlined by country music legend Crystal Gayle. She has won numerous awards and topped the Billboard country charts 18 times. Norton Auditorium in Florence will host the show June 24 and tickets go on sale Wednesday at shoalsscholardollars.com.
The Shoals Scholar Dollars organization aims to help students who don’t qualify for other scholarships and are not eligible for Pell Grants. Students must have a 2.5 grade average, have 98% school attendance, be a United States citizen, and have no major discipline issues.
Seniors from the 17 high schools in Colbert and Lauderdale counties can apply for the scholarships, which allow a student to attend Northwest-Shoals Community College for two years and then transfer to the University of North Alabama on a partial scholarship.
The largest fundraiser each year for Shoals Scholar Dollars is the Student of the Year Awards Ceremony. Each of the high schools nominate their Student of the Year. Then, those 17 students interview before a selection committee made up of officials from NW-SCC, UNA, and area community and business leaders. The winner will be announced April 20, at the Student of the Year Awards at the Shoals Marriott. Information on each school’s Student of the Year on the Shoals Scholar Dollars Facebook page.
“My role as executive director is to ensure the money is there to help these students,” Helton said. “Northwest-Shoals and UNA have been fantastic partners and we have great relationships with both schools.”
Former Executive Director Dr. Randy Pettus started several fundraising events for Shoals Scholar Dollars, such as the Speaker Series, which featured musicians John Paul White and Mac McAnally at UNA last month.
Other annual events include the June Jubilee golf tournament at Robert Trent Jones at The Shoals on June 16 and the Dragonboat Festival in October on the banks of the Tennessee River in McFarland Park.
There are several avenues to donate funds for the scholarships: A one-time gift, make a recurring donation, supporting the program through its Amazon Smile account, or a matching gifts program with employers.
For more information, contact Helton at [email protected] or 256-246-2907.
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