The Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor is continuing to help Washtenaw Community College students reach their finish line, and doing so with record contributions.
The philanthropic organization presented the WCC Foundation a check for more than $94,000 during a recent luncheon that brought club members together with the scholarship recipients their generosity is positively impacting.
“The Kiwanis Club has told us they have two goals with these donations. One is to get local students through college without accumulating a mountain of debt and the other is to get them through in a shorter time than they would have otherwise,” said WCC Senior Director of Advancement Shana Barker.
“There is no doubt they are accomplishing those goals. We thank every member and volunteer for their hard work and dedication to making it happen.”
The endowed Kiwanis Scholarship at WCC covers tuition and books for a full academic year for full-time student recipients and has an approximate value of $3,500 per year.
Students can keep the scholarship for up to three years if they maintain a 2.0 GPA and stay on pace for completion.
The club has been awarding college scholarships to local students since the 1990s.
Five years ago, it designated the WCC Foundation as the sole recipient of its entire scholarship budget.
That initial donation of $70,000 in 2018 has increased each year since.
Approximately one-quarter of the funds are raised at the Kiwanis Thrift Sale, which offers in-store shopping at 100 N. Staebler Road in Ann Arbor. The store is off Jackson Road, one mile west of Zeeb.
The remaining three-quarters come directly from individual donations by Kiwanis members, volunteers and other individuals.
For more information about the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor, visit a2kiwanisfoundation.org. For information about donating items to the thrift sale, email donations@a2kiwanis.org.
