The First Five Years
The ConVal Community Scholarship Foundation Dollars for Scholars (CVCSF) was incorporated in 2006 as a not for profit corporation to give financial and mentoring assistance to graduating high school students residing in the ConVal region with limited prospects for postsecondary education. The first objective was to provide this help to those who would benefit most. The second was to motivate, encourage and assist high school students in the completion of secondary and the pursuit of postsecondary education. The third was to build an endowment adequate to provide scholarships to worthy and needy students for years to come.
In these challenging first five years, to award winners in the classes of 2007 through 2011, CVCSF has given scholarship financial help of up to $6,500 and mentoring assistance to twenty-nine deserving ConVal High School graduates. Seven, the largest number so far, were awarded to recipients in the Class of 2011.
An important initial challenge was to help inspire, in the nine ConVal towns, an increased regional sense of community. To this end, CVCSF made presentations to groups, published quarterly newsletters, sent press releases to the Ledger-Transcript and other media, placed collection jars with scholars’ faces in stores throughout the region and worked in very close partnership with ConVal High School guidance counselors and other staff to assure most careful selection of award winners.
As of June 30, 2011, with more than five hundred contributions received from across the region, twenty-nine awards granted, award candidates from all towns in the region, increasing ConVal Region spirit and an endowment fund begun, CVCSF can claim that its first three objectives are being met. It is off to a healthy five year start and it is well positioned to continue giving financial and mentoring assistance to some of the most deserving young people in our ConVal Region. The ConVal Community Scholarship Foundation thanks all who have given their generous support and congratulates its winners in the ConVal Class of 2011.