ILLINOIS DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS®

A Program of Scholarship America®

“Scholarship Bits”

August-September 2006

Dystrup’s Dialogue:

Summertime comes and goes so quickly. We hope you enjoy the new look of the newsletter. Our objective is to make the transition to an exclusively web-based newsletter by 2007. Another major change is to move to a quarterly publication, so you can expect to receive newsletters in August, November, February, and May. I ask each chapter president to send me an e-mail address. As a new school year begins, I hope your chapters will raise the bar and provide additional scholarship funds for those seeking post-secondary educational opportunities.

What lies ahead?

The national office will send its August mailing soon. Be sure to check out the calendar of activities for ‘06 and ‘07. The national office has initiated some bold initiatives focusing on upgrading our web page, improving its ability to be interactive amongst our members and to make your chapter duties easier to complete. In addition, work groups at Scholarship America have been established to more clearly define and establish chapter “standards,” enabling each to work toward more consistent goals.

State funding continues

Thanks to the Governor’s office and our legislative leaders who once again provided Illinois Dollars for Scholars with funding for chapter development, Lincolnland Legends and seed money to create a consortium of higher education institutions in southern Illinois that will aid and assist our chapters in becoming more sustainable.

Hints from Hazel:

Become familiar with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and their “Illinois Mentor” counseling center program (www.collegezone.com). This interactive module provides comprehensive communication, management, and reporting tools that empower one to track and guide students as they progress through career exploration, college selection, financial aid and the admissions application process. ISAC certainly proves with this tool their commitment to help every Illinois student pursue a college education. Check it out!

Another proven program fitting nicely with college preparation is AVID. A number of communities and schools who are affiliated with ILDFS have adopted the model and have found their results to be on par with those advertised.

Look over the “famous Wrigley rooftop” idea. The program would probably work in a number of the smaller minor league communities looking for something different.

TC’s Tidbits ~ Lincolnland Legends to Shine Again

Here we go again!

Our inaugural Lincolnland Legends essay competition was such a success we’re doing it again. Within a few weeks, high school juniors and seniors will be receiving information on how they enter this year’s contest.

There’s a few changes this year. We will still recognize one finalist from each of the 19 Congressional districts, but instead of recognizing the top eight essays, then narrowing it down to four finalists, then two ~ only the first and second place winners will receive additional scholarship funds. Each of the 19 Congressional district finalists will receive a $2,500 scholarship, while the winning essay writer will receive an additional $8,000 and the second-place finisher will receive another $2,000! This year’s essay topic will be education and the betterment of the community.

Mark your calendars!

The Lincolnland Legends Gala will be held on April 21, 2007, again at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. AXA Advisors is repeating as our title sponsor, while Nicor has joined as a “Cum Laude” sponsor this year. There are still plenty of sponsorship opportunities and options available.

We’re looking forward to another great year and some great essays, so make sure you pass the word about the competition. It’s our hope to continually increase the number of participants each year and there’s no such thing as too much publicity!