For more than 40 years, the Kiwanis Club of Mariemont, part of Kiwanis International, has been in the business of serving youth and their neighborhoods and developing young leaders.

A key recipient of their efforts has been the Mariemont City School District community.

Kiwanis members, along with faculty advisors, work with students in each of the five schools to facilitate community service opportunities and to develop future leaders. This effort is promoted through the Builders Clubs at the elementary schools and Junior High and the Key Club at Mariemont High School.

Not only does Kiwanis help instill the virtue of leadership and community service among the students, but the organization also supports Mariemont students by awarding college scholarships/grants each year to deserving graduates and, in some cases, continued support throughout their college years.

Up until 1997, Kiwanis awarded $500 grants to as many as five graduates at the high school based solely on achievement.

In 1998, the group distributed $3,000 in scholarships and by 2001 that amount grew to $10,000.

Since 2001, Mariemont Kiwanis has awarded $79,000 in college grants to 30 qualified students. This amount includes four cases of renewal grants to enable students to continue their college education.

Last year’s recipients were Mariemont Class of 2007 graduates Andy Richardson and Leslie Foard, who received a combined $10,000 in aid.

An additional $4,000 was given to previous recipients to help support their continued education.

To help fund this effort, Kiwanis organizes three major fundraisers each year.

In 2001, they started the spring golf outing solely for the purpose of funding these grants. This was in addition to their popular “Arts and Crafts Fair” in the fall and the nut sale during the holidays.

As responsible stewards of these funds, Kiwanis members review applications, FAFSA financial information and personal interviews to ensure grants are awarded to the qualified students who have proven financial need.

The scholarship/grant program is a joint effort lead by Kiwanis members Pedro Stites and Jack Smith along with assistance from Mariemont High School Principal Jim Renner and school counselor Janet Elfers.

This year’s Kiwanis grants will be awarded at the Mariemont High School Recognition Day ceremony May 19.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 5:53 am and is filed under News and Education, College Grant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.