TRAER – North Tama Dollars for Scholars completed its sixth year by giving scholarships worth $2,000 to 21 qualifying North Tama graduates for a $42,000 obligation on the organization’s part.

To date, North Tama Dollars for Scholars has awarded $175,500 in scholarships to 110 graduates. The group began in Jan. 2020 hoping to award three scholarships but several Traer businesses and individuals gave generously, leading to the awarding of 10 scholarships worth $1,000 apiece of which three were renewable for a second year at $1,000.

As gifts to North Tama Dollars for Scholars has increased, so have the value of the scholarships and the number awarded. All scholarships are now $1,000 for the first year and renewable for $1,000 in the second year. Further, every qualified applicant has received a scholarship. Scholarships have a wide range of GPA with emphasis on both “skills and trades” and traditional college. Any program for which an Iowa certificate, license or diploma is earned qualifies for North Tama Dollars for Scholars scholarships.

Scholarships are funded in many ways including (1) pay-roll deduction; (2) assignment of regular monthly amounts from checking accounts to NTDFS; (3) a check spontaneously given.

As an organization, North Tama Dollars of Scholars has two annual fundraising activities including soliciting gifts from alumni at the annual Winding Stairs Festival the second weekend in August. This is especially effective because three individuals will match the gifts of each class in the amounts of $250, $500, and $750. Thus if a class gives $1,500 or more, it will be matched up to $1,500.

The second annual fundraiser is a solicitation letter sent in October to each North Tama home plus supporters outside the district.

All donations go to scholarships. Expenses are covered through annual donations from the organization’s directors and from Chelsea Savings Bank, MEMBERS1st Credit Union, Farmers Savings Bank & Trust, and Thrivent Financial.

Recently, Kent Herink and his siblings added a marvelous scholarship opportunity for Coe College in Cedar Rapids. This is a $5,000 a year scholarship for four years and is offered exclusively through North Tama Dollars for Scholars.

Find out more by visiting northtama.dollarsforscholars.org.

Good things are happening for North Tama School students.