Scholarship America: Walking A Few Miles In Their Shoes
Walking A Few Miles In Their Shoes
Students, friends, families and volunteers came together in October for the 7th Annual Walk for Education in Los Angeles, hosted by California Dollars for Scholars and Collegiate Partner Loyola Marymount University.
The Walk for Education raises money for chapters across California each year; in addition, as California Dollars for Scholars Executive Director Ann Worley points out, it aims to "bring young students on campus and get them dreaming about attending college in the future."
One of those groups of students came from the Drew Silvern Dollars for Scholars Migrant Education Foundation in East Los Angeles. Founder and president Lila Lee Silvern checked in with Scholarship America:
"Some of the heartiest of the students participating in the Los Angeles School District's Saturday Migrant Education Program boarded a bus at 6:30 a.m. for a two-hour ride across the city to Loyola Marymount University. The students and their teachers, John Holloway and Wilda Kier, arrived just in time to register for the [Walk], get their t-shirts, autographed pictures of the Laker Girls, fruit juice and energy bars.
"With water bottles in hand after a warm up with the Laker Girls, they set forth on their 5k walk around the beautiful and scenic LMU campus. Three of the students, who were seniors, were awed by the glimpse of life on a college campus. They were told that they would be eligible to apply for a scholarship given by Drew Silvern Migrant Ed Dollars for Scholars.
"Since 1958, Dollars for Scholars has helped create and support community-based, volunteer-led scholarship groups. California chapters awarded more than $2.4 million in scholarships. A loyal group of supporters of the Drew Silvern Migrant Ed Fund raised enough money last year from a Fiesta and the Walk to award $15,000 in grants to twenty students, one of whom is in his junior year at Loyola Marymount.
"The walkers returned hot and thirsty, but exhilarated from the walk. The morning ended with Pizza and a raffle drawing of Tee shirts representing the many college campuses of California .
"The students boarded the bus with their souvenirs and hopefully the seeds of interest in some day in the near future being able to attend a University like Loyola Marymount."
The Star Achievers Dollars for Scholars chapter also participated in the Walk for Education again this year. This unique chapter was started in 1992 by Ed and Lenora Dugas and Della Ford, after the tragic passings of the Dugas's daughter and Della's husband, who was also their beloved church pastor.
The three of them decided to do something positive out of their grief, and started Star Achievers Dollars for Scholars. Their scholarships go to high-achieving African-American students both from their own church and from surrounding high schools.
Each year, Lenora makes wonderful handcrafted gifts, which the chapter sells at the walk, along with raffle tickets for items donated by the Home Depot where current chapter president Louis Rubins works. Lenora checked in with our California Dollars for Scholars office after the Walk as well:
"We just celebrated our 16th [year] with Dollars for Scholars, and if anyone would have asked me prior to that if I would spend the next decade(s) fundraising to assist the children of others, I would have replied with a resounding 'NO.' Yet, I find myself writing letters and proposals annually.
"Because of people like [our California staff, Ann Worley and Barbara Charnock] who are always just a phone call away to answer questions, you've made it so much easier for us to keep going. The [Walk] s our only real fundraiser. We have a group of church friends who because of knee replacements and body aches, will give instead of coming out to walk. I think, this was our smallest number of actual walkers. Even Della had knee replacement the first of this year.
"However, I still enjoy doing my quilting projects and selling them!"
In addition to proceeds from Lenora's quilting -- she gives half of what she earns to the fund -- the chapter also recently received $15,000 in support from Boeing and SCE. Despite knee replacements and all, Star Achievers, like the rest of the participants in the Walk for Education, is still going strong.
The Walk for Education raises money for chapters across California each year; in addition, as California Dollars for Scholars Executive Director Ann Worley points out, it aims to "bring young students on campus and get them dreaming about attending college in the future."
One of those groups of students came from the Drew Silvern Dollars for Scholars Migrant Education Foundation in East Los Angeles. Founder and president Lila Lee Silvern checked in with Scholarship America:
"Some of the heartiest of the students participating in the Los Angeles School District's Saturday Migrant Education Program boarded a bus at 6:30 a.m. for a two-hour ride across the city to Loyola Marymount University. The students and their teachers, John Holloway and Wilda Kier, arrived just in time to register for the [Walk], get their t-shirts, autographed pictures of the Laker Girls, fruit juice and energy bars."With water bottles in hand after a warm up with the Laker Girls, they set forth on their 5k walk around the beautiful and scenic LMU campus. Three of the students, who were seniors, were awed by the glimpse of life on a college campus. They were told that they would be eligible to apply for a scholarship given by Drew Silvern Migrant Ed Dollars for Scholars.
"Since 1958, Dollars for Scholars has helped create and support community-based, volunteer-led scholarship groups. California chapters awarded more than $2.4 million in scholarships. A loyal group of supporters of the Drew Silvern Migrant Ed Fund raised enough money last year from a Fiesta and the Walk to award $15,000 in grants to twenty students, one of whom is in his junior year at Loyola Marymount.
"The walkers returned hot and thirsty, but exhilarated from the walk. The morning ended with Pizza and a raffle drawing of Tee shirts representing the many college campuses of California .
"The students boarded the bus with their souvenirs and hopefully the seeds of interest in some day in the near future being able to attend a University like Loyola Marymount."
The Star Achievers Dollars for Scholars chapter also participated in the Walk for Education again this year. This unique chapter was started in 1992 by Ed and Lenora Dugas and Della Ford, after the tragic passings of the Dugas's daughter and Della's husband, who was also their beloved church pastor.
The three of them decided to do something positive out of their grief, and started Star Achievers Dollars for Scholars. Their scholarships go to high-achieving African-American students both from their own church and from surrounding high schools.
Each year, Lenora makes wonderful handcrafted gifts, which the chapter sells at the walk, along with raffle tickets for items donated by the Home Depot where current chapter president Louis Rubins works. Lenora checked in with our California Dollars for Scholars office after the Walk as well:
"We just celebrated our 16th [year] with Dollars for Scholars, and if anyone would have asked me prior to that if I would spend the next decade(s) fundraising to assist the children of others, I would have replied with a resounding 'NO.' Yet, I find myself writing letters and proposals annually.
"Because of people like [our California staff, Ann Worley and Barbara Charnock] who are always just a phone call away to answer questions, you've made it so much easier for us to keep going. The [Walk] s our only real fundraiser. We have a group of church friends who because of knee replacements and body aches, will give instead of coming out to walk. I think, this was our smallest number of actual walkers. Even Della had knee replacement the first of this year.
"However, I still enjoy doing my quilting projects and selling them!"
In addition to proceeds from Lenora's quilting -- she gives half of what she earns to the fund -- the chapter also recently received $15,000 in support from Boeing and SCE. Despite knee replacements and all, Star Achievers, like the rest of the participants in the Walk for Education, is still going strong.