By Lauren Costella, National Volunteer Coordinator
“Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud.” -Helen Dyer
The combination of work, family and volunteering often leaves us wishing we could be in two places at once. For Debbie Busching of South Dearborn (IN) Dollars for Scholars, there's even more to it: “I work in Ohio, I live in Kentucky and I volunteer in Indiana.”
Being able to divvy up her time in so many places comes somewhat naturally to Debbie: as a child she moved around quite a bit because her father was a member of the US Air Force. When Debbie found a more permanent home in Moore's Hill, Indiana, she began working and raising a family and volunteering for various organizations and sports that her children were involved with. She discovered her true volunteer passion when her oldest daughter received a scholarship from the local Dollars for Scholars chapter. With this help for her daughter, Debbie realized the value of showing community support to students and encouraging them to never give up on their goals. She has been volunteering for South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars since 2002, and, earlier this year, Debbie was honored as Indiana Dollars for Scholars' Volunteer of the Year.
In her time with the chapter, Debbie has held nearly every officer position, taking on any vacancy that needs filling and enjoying the variety of challenges. Most of all, she enjoys fundraising for her chapter; Debbie works as a marketing professional, so she appreciates the ability to transfer her skills and expertise to philanthropy. For example, Debbie helped create and implement an innovative fundraiser in which community businesses donate to Dollars for Scholars based on points in local high school sporting events -- a company or organization may donate $1 a point in a basketball game, or $25 per touchdown in football. Each game usually has two sponsors, and sometimes upwards of five or six. This creative program brings in an added $3,000 per year for scholarships, and helps maintain what Debbie calls an incredible relationship with local high schools.
Volunteering has always been a family affair for Debbie. Her brother and sister, her husband and now her children are all volunteers for various organizations, and her inspiration stems from her parents. Until his death in 1987, her father was an active volunteer, and her mother, a 70-year-old cancer survivor, spends at least 20 hours a week volunteering in a local nursing home, for the American Legion, and planting flowers for the local beautification committee. And that's not all: recently, Debbie’s mother set up a scholarship fund in her name. It stemmed from an idea her co-workers and American Legion colleagues had to celebrate her birthday: instead of presents, they started to donate to a scholarship fund. The idea caught on, and Debbie and her siblings even donate to the fund for special occasions like Christmas and birthdays. As a result, this year the fund offered $500 in scholarships to two students, with a goal of doubling the award next year.
Beyond creatively raising money, Debbie and South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars work tirelessly to ensure that get the most out of their scholarships. They encourage all students to take advantage of Scholarship America's Collegiate Partners and Matching Collegiate Partners, in part by allowing them to split their scholarship between two years and take advantage of the college's matching amounts each year. For example, students who could have used their $1200 scholarships for their freshman year and received a $500 matching-partner grant are encouraged to use $600 each year (and thus get not one but two matching grants.) This makes the scholarships more valuable for students and helps them to cover college costs for multiple years.
Debbie is nothing if not proud of the work her chapter's done to increase scholarship money for students. When she started with South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars seven years ago, the chapter raised about $12,000 in scholarships. In 2009, that amount has increased to $37,000. Certainly such successes can be attributed to increased generosity from local businesses over the years, but Debbie also points out how crucial alumni scholarship recipients have been to creating chapter success. These recipients give back by donating anywhere from $5-$150, and a student recipient from the class of 1995 recently started a fund that awarded a $1500 scholarship this year.
Cultivating and maintaining alumni relationships is a top priority for the Debbie and the South Dearborn chapter. Every two years, the local high school hosts a Thanksgiving-weekend basketball game, and the chapter hosts a recipient alumni night in conjunction with this popular tradition. At halftime of the game, the chapter's founder and current president speak, and each former recipient is called to the court to be publicly recognized. At the last event in 2008, 200 of the chapter's 375 past recipients showed up – a fantastic display of alumni support.
Certainly these chapter successes haven’t come without challenges, especially in recruiting new volunteers. South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars serves a very spread-out community, which at times makes it difficult to get people interested and involved. But Debbie is focused on finding people who are passionate about education. As she says, “Getting people for fundraisers is easy, but it’s getting people to help with the long term positions that seem to be problematic. Everyone has something they are interested in and we are looking to find the ‘right’ people interested in education.”
Recruiting can be a struggle, but Debbie points out that the selling points for Dollars for Scholars are pretty straightforward: education for students helps to solve community problems. For a small community to survive, citizens must be educated. Educated communities are more productive and have less crime. The chapter also encourages student involvement in the community by offering scholarships for their volunteering efforts.
Dollars for Scholars is truly a mission driven, and it’s a catalyst for creating and maintaining a better communities. It’s an organization a community can rally behind and be proud to support, just as South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars has proven. Last but not least, it’s an organization that knows no borders: just ask Debbie Busching and the state lines she and her efforts regularly cross.
“Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud.” -Helen Dyer
The combination of work, family and volunteering often leaves us wishing we could be in two places at once. For Debbie Busching of South Dearborn (IN) Dollars for Scholars, there's even more to it: “I work in Ohio, I live in Kentucky and I volunteer in Indiana.”
Being able to divvy up her time in so many places comes somewhat naturally to Debbie: as a child she moved around quite a bit because her father was a member of the US Air Force. When Debbie found a more permanent home in Moore's Hill, Indiana, she began working and raising a family and volunteering for various organizations and sports that her children were involved with. She discovered her true volunteer passion when her oldest daughter received a scholarship from the local Dollars for Scholars chapter. With this help for her daughter, Debbie realized the value of showing community support to students and encouraging them to never give up on their goals. She has been volunteering for South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars since 2002, and, earlier this year, Debbie was honored as Indiana Dollars for Scholars' Volunteer of the Year.
In her time with the chapter, Debbie has held nearly every officer position, taking on any vacancy that needs filling and enjoying the variety of challenges. Most of all, she enjoys fundraising for her chapter; Debbie works as a marketing professional, so she appreciates the ability to transfer her skills and expertise to philanthropy. For example, Debbie helped create and implement an innovative fundraiser in which community businesses donate to Dollars for Scholars based on points in local high school sporting events -- a company or organization may donate $1 a point in a basketball game, or $25 per touchdown in football. Each game usually has two sponsors, and sometimes upwards of five or six. This creative program brings in an added $3,000 per year for scholarships, and helps maintain what Debbie calls an incredible relationship with local high schools.Volunteering has always been a family affair for Debbie. Her brother and sister, her husband and now her children are all volunteers for various organizations, and her inspiration stems from her parents. Until his death in 1987, her father was an active volunteer, and her mother, a 70-year-old cancer survivor, spends at least 20 hours a week volunteering in a local nursing home, for the American Legion, and planting flowers for the local beautification committee. And that's not all: recently, Debbie’s mother set up a scholarship fund in her name. It stemmed from an idea her co-workers and American Legion colleagues had to celebrate her birthday: instead of presents, they started to donate to a scholarship fund. The idea caught on, and Debbie and her siblings even donate to the fund for special occasions like Christmas and birthdays. As a result, this year the fund offered $500 in scholarships to two students, with a goal of doubling the award next year.
Beyond creatively raising money, Debbie and South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars work tirelessly to ensure that get the most out of their scholarships. They encourage all students to take advantage of Scholarship America's Collegiate Partners and Matching Collegiate Partners, in part by allowing them to split their scholarship between two years and take advantage of the college's matching amounts each year. For example, students who could have used their $1200 scholarships for their freshman year and received a $500 matching-partner grant are encouraged to use $600 each year (and thus get not one but two matching grants.) This makes the scholarships more valuable for students and helps them to cover college costs for multiple years.
Debbie is nothing if not proud of the work her chapter's done to increase scholarship money for students. When she started with South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars seven years ago, the chapter raised about $12,000 in scholarships. In 2009, that amount has increased to $37,000. Certainly such successes can be attributed to increased generosity from local businesses over the years, but Debbie also points out how crucial alumni scholarship recipients have been to creating chapter success. These recipients give back by donating anywhere from $5-$150, and a student recipient from the class of 1995 recently started a fund that awarded a $1500 scholarship this year.
Cultivating and maintaining alumni relationships is a top priority for the Debbie and the South Dearborn chapter. Every two years, the local high school hosts a Thanksgiving-weekend basketball game, and the chapter hosts a recipient alumni night in conjunction with this popular tradition. At halftime of the game, the chapter's founder and current president speak, and each former recipient is called to the court to be publicly recognized. At the last event in 2008, 200 of the chapter's 375 past recipients showed up – a fantastic display of alumni support.
Certainly these chapter successes haven’t come without challenges, especially in recruiting new volunteers. South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars serves a very spread-out community, which at times makes it difficult to get people interested and involved. But Debbie is focused on finding people who are passionate about education. As she says, “Getting people for fundraisers is easy, but it’s getting people to help with the long term positions that seem to be problematic. Everyone has something they are interested in and we are looking to find the ‘right’ people interested in education.”
Recruiting can be a struggle, but Debbie points out that the selling points for Dollars for Scholars are pretty straightforward: education for students helps to solve community problems. For a small community to survive, citizens must be educated. Educated communities are more productive and have less crime. The chapter also encourages student involvement in the community by offering scholarships for their volunteering efforts.
Dollars for Scholars is truly a mission driven, and it’s a catalyst for creating and maintaining a better communities. It’s an organization a community can rally behind and be proud to support, just as South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars has proven. Last but not least, it’s an organization that knows no borders: just ask Debbie Busching and the state lines she and her efforts regularly cross.
21/07: Some Good News For Students
Times may continue to be tough for the American economy, but we've found a couple of pieces of very good news for students worth sharing. Just click on the headlines to read the full stories.
• Streamlined Financial Aid Process Makes Money Easier To Get: "Bewildered and frustrated by all the paperwork required to get a student loan? You aren’t alone, and the federal government has taken notice.
"Beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year, the United States Department of Education will be introducing a process to help simplify the student loan application procedure. The Obama administration plans to request that Congress enact legislation to delete more than half of the questions presently listed on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition, the streamlined form will not require students to answer questions that do not apply to them. Currently, the FAFSA requires applications to answer more than 153 questions, and many people require at least several hours to complete the form."
• Rise in Private College Tuition at 31-Year Low: "The price of a private college education will rise less than it has in decades.
"Tuition and fees at Minnesota's private colleges and universities are up an average of 4.8 percent this year -- the smallest increase since 1978. Same goes nationwide, where tuition and fees are 4.3 percent more than last year. That's the lowest bump since 1972, according to a survey of 350 schools by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
"A survey released today by the same group shows that more than three-quarters of the schools have also increased the financial aid they're offering students."
Paying for college is still first and foremost in the minds of a lot of students and parents, but these are a couple of promising developments. For more advice and information, don't forget to check out Scholarship America's Online Financial Aid Resources!
• Streamlined Financial Aid Process Makes Money Easier To Get: "Bewildered and frustrated by all the paperwork required to get a student loan? You aren’t alone, and the federal government has taken notice.
"Beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year, the United States Department of Education will be introducing a process to help simplify the student loan application procedure. The Obama administration plans to request that Congress enact legislation to delete more than half of the questions presently listed on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition, the streamlined form will not require students to answer questions that do not apply to them. Currently, the FAFSA requires applications to answer more than 153 questions, and many people require at least several hours to complete the form."
• Rise in Private College Tuition at 31-Year Low: "The price of a private college education will rise less than it has in decades.
"Tuition and fees at Minnesota's private colleges and universities are up an average of 4.8 percent this year -- the smallest increase since 1978. Same goes nationwide, where tuition and fees are 4.3 percent more than last year. That's the lowest bump since 1972, according to a survey of 350 schools by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
"A survey released today by the same group shows that more than three-quarters of the schools have also increased the financial aid they're offering students."
Paying for college is still first and foremost in the minds of a lot of students and parents, but these are a couple of promising developments. For more advice and information, don't forget to check out Scholarship America's Online Financial Aid Resources!
There are a couple of excellent news items we're pleased to announce this week; click the headlines to download the full press release!
* Scholarship America Recognizes Select Dollars for Scholars Volunteers with National Award
Scholarship America honored five Dollars for Scholars volunteers during fiscal year 2009 by presenting them each with the National Honor Roll award, which recognizes volunteers who are instrumental in successfully guiding the course of their local chapter in a significant and beneficial way.
Marie Landino from Woburn High School Scholarship Fund in Woburn, Mass. was selected to receive the Award in September 2008. Susan Nocella, Margaret Gagnon, and Lynn Ebrecht, also from Woburn High School Scholarship Fund, as well as Joan Bonsignore from Island Trees Dollars for Scholars in Levittown, NY, received the award in June 2009.
* Scholarship America and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities Announce Strategic Partnership to Improve the Lives of Youth
Scholarship America and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities (BBBS) have forged an important partnership in support of Twin Cities’ youth. This partnership will link the services that both organizations currently provide to youth, to assure that a greater number of Twin Cities students have access to a continuum of services that will help them succeed from elementary school through postsecondary education and beyond.
“This partnership is an important step in providing holistic services to youth as they make their way from secondary education to postsecondary education and beyond,” says Dr. Clifford L. Stanley, President & CEO of Scholarship America. “Working together, we can assure that students understand that they, too, have access to postsecondary education.”
* Scholarship America Recognizes Select Dollars for Scholars Volunteers with National Award
Scholarship America honored five Dollars for Scholars volunteers during fiscal year 2009 by presenting them each with the National Honor Roll award, which recognizes volunteers who are instrumental in successfully guiding the course of their local chapter in a significant and beneficial way.
Marie Landino from Woburn High School Scholarship Fund in Woburn, Mass. was selected to receive the Award in September 2008. Susan Nocella, Margaret Gagnon, and Lynn Ebrecht, also from Woburn High School Scholarship Fund, as well as Joan Bonsignore from Island Trees Dollars for Scholars in Levittown, NY, received the award in June 2009.
* Scholarship America and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities Announce Strategic Partnership to Improve the Lives of Youth
Scholarship America and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities (BBBS) have forged an important partnership in support of Twin Cities’ youth. This partnership will link the services that both organizations currently provide to youth, to assure that a greater number of Twin Cities students have access to a continuum of services that will help them succeed from elementary school through postsecondary education and beyond.
“This partnership is an important step in providing holistic services to youth as they make their way from secondary education to postsecondary education and beyond,” says Dr. Clifford L. Stanley, President & CEO of Scholarship America. “Working together, we can assure that students understand that they, too, have access to postsecondary education.”
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