Yankee Trails

02 A P R I L 2 0 2 0 The Villages ® Community yankeetrails.com | 352.633.4643 T C L U B O F T H E M O N T H The Villages Dollars for Scholars he Villages Dollars for Scholars is an affiliate of Scholarship Amer- ica, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) orga- nization. This chapter was formed by Carol Lutgen (former president) and a small group of residents from The Villages with the goal to help lo- cal students by offering scholarships. Dollars for Scholars is made up of dedicated, hard-working volunteers who are rewarded by seeing these students succeed in life by further- ing their education. The scholarships can be used for any accredited col- lege, university, state college, tech or trade school. Criteria for eligibility is financial need and/or first-generation college students, and a GPA of 2.50 or better (please visit their website for more information). In February, the volunteers of Dollars for Scholars featured their signature fundraising event, the fourth annual Dancing With "Our" Stars, produced by volunteer Jim Zurak, who also produces the Starry Musical Variety Shows. In early March, they participat- ed in the neighborhood-wide garage sale held at The Villages and later that month, also hosted A Night of Dancing with Suzie Casta. These events, along with other unique fundraising ideas, such as Jukebox Bingo, Golf Scram- bles, Halloween Parties and the Buf- fee Film Festival of independent local films, allowed The Villages Dollars for Scholars organization to raise over $470,000 since their inception, in- cluding an over $80,000 endowment fund at Lake Sumter State College. The efforts of this dedicated group of volunteers earned them the distinc- tive title of 2013 Southeast Affiliate of the Year by Scholarship America, Inc. In May 2019, 11 students were awarded $51,000 to pursue their aca- demic dreams. Currently, applications are being reviewed and selected for the 2020 scholarships which will be awarded in May. A new Board of Directors was elected in July 2019, led by Joyce Gilette, Presi- dent, and Robin Smith, Vice President. Our motto is HELP US ** HELP YOU ** HELP KIDS For more information on this organization or to make a donation, please visit their website: thevillages.dollarsforscholars.org Joyce (352) 633-5281 Robin (352) 633-3920 Would you like your group to be featured as Club of the Month? Contact Shelley Brodrick at sbroderick@yankeetrails.com By Shelley Brodrick Yankee Trails' Editor

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