2008 Vol 2 No 3

Third Quarter Newsletter to our Contributors

Six CVCSF scholarship grant winners in the ConVal class of 2008 started their postsecondary education programs this month. The top three, $5,800 grant winners, in photos below from left to right, are: (Left) Diana Lavoie with her mother (far left) and Sue Chollet, a CVCSF Founder; (Center) Morgan Boutwell and her mother; and (Right) Justina Lafreniere. Diana (Peterborough) is at Plymouth State University preparing to teach chemistry and is winner of the CVCSF Peterborough Lions Scholarship. Morgan (Peterborough) is at Southern New Hampshire University studying accounting and is winner of the CVCSF Monadnock Rotary Club Scholarship. Justina (Antrim) is at University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth, preparing for a career in Nursing.

Smaller awards went to Nat Dostaler (Bennington), enrolled in an auto mechanics certificate program at Universal Technical Institute, Norwood, MA; Ben Holt (Bennington) working on an associate degree in Animation and Graphic Game Design at New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI) in Concord; and Jie Lu (Dublin) enrolled in an associate degree program in Hotel Administration, also at NHTI, Concord.

It is coincidental that our top three awards in 2008 have been given to students in four year programs. All CVCSF winners are chosen on the basis of obstacles overcome and potential for success in their chosen career paths. Our purpose is to assure that disadvantaged students with potential graduate from ConVal High School and have financial and mentoring assistance to complete a certificate, associate or other degree program. Our support is limited to two years of postsecondary education. We want these students to graduate from high school and have postsecondary education or training to better prepare them for employment.

RiverMead Reception; In August, CVCSF award winner Diana Lavoie and her mother were introduced at a gathering of RiverMead resident supporters, Peterborough Lions Club members and others. Her story is heartwarming. Not a good student in early high school years, she was so inspired by her ConVal chemistry teacher she had to follow his example and become one herself. She excelled in her second and third years. Diane, her mother said, could not have hoped for college without her CVCSF scholarship grant. With the enthusiasm and spirit Diana demonstrated at RiverMead we are sure she will succeed.

Report on 2007 Scholarship Winners: LEE CORIGLIANO (Antrim) - the first CVCSF scholar to complete his postsecondary education program, graduates from his auto mechanic training program at the Porter and Chester Institute in Chicopee, MA this week. He is returning to his home in Antrim and to his new job in Hillsborough. ALYCIA MUDRACK (Peterborough) - will complete her associate degree program in Juvenile Justice at Hesser College in Nashua in May. ERYN TUPPER (Antrim) - starting her second year at a branch of Brigham Young University in Rexburg, ID, wrote on September 16, "This semester I am enrolled in an art history class and really loving it. It is a great program and I am excited to see what the next three years will bring." Eryn plans to earn a degree in art education. PRISCILLA COFFILL (Peterborough) - is in the third semester of her Associate Degree in Nursing program at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord and should be ready to go to work at Monadnock Community Hospital next June.

CVCSF Financial Condition:  Facing a critical and global financial crisis, it is appropriate to say something here about the financial condition of CVCSF which continues to be as strong as it could be in current circumstances. We keep cash in Ocean Bank for near-term obligations. Funds sufficient for scholarship grant commitments, fundraising and other operating expenses for the longer term are deposited in the Vanguard Group Prime Money Market Fund. We are in process of opening an endowment fund with the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to assure long-term sustainability. While there are no safety guarantees in this turbulent time, we believe that your contributions and ours are as safe as is currently possible. We continue to be an all-volunteer organization. We have prepared a CVCSF Financial Vision Statement that we will be glad to share and discuss with our contributors. (For an appointment, Call John Vance at (603) 924-4063.)

Tougher times ahead for 2009 graduates:  In recent weeks it has become clear that funds available for student loans are diminishing. It is already more difficult for applicants to borrow what they need for college and it is unlikely that this situation will improve soon. This makes initiatives such as ours, and your continuing support for it, more important than ever.

Web page development: A team has been put together to develop our web page. We plan to combine professional graphic and functional design assistance with ConVal graphic arts students and faculty participation. One of our directors has agreed to oversee this project. We have applied for a modest grant to help cover this cost and hope to report on progress in our next newsletter.

Monadnock Rotary Club Wellness Festival:  Believing that wellness in education is important, just as is physical wellness, CVCSF had a booth at this downtown Peterborough Festival on September 27. The event was a great success for the Monadnock Rotary Club, Peterborough and surrounding towns, and provided us with a fine opportunity to get our award winners' stories across in a festive venue.

Changes and Opportunities at CVCSF:  Tim Kolk, Managing Partner of Brookwood Capital in Peterborough, has succeeded Christine Clinton of Dublin as Treasurer. Christine is one of the Founders of CVCSF and we are grateful to her for getting us this far. As we continue to grow we need others to become actively involved. We are presently looking for someone to be our Publicity and Public Information Director.

A reply envelope is enclosed for your questions, comments or suggestions and for those who may wish to make contributions before the end of the current calendar year. This is our quarterly newsletter and not our annual fund raiser, but contributions are always needed and appreciated.