Rotary scholarships pass $300,000

LIMA - For the past seven years, the Lima Rotary Club has helped area students through college while spurring economic development in the county.

"Our main focus is to try to raise the employability of local people," said Bill Timmermeister, chairman of the scholarship program. "To have a better pool of people to pick from who are better educated."

The scholarships reach a milestone today as another 14 recipients will be recognized at the club's meeting. The recipients mark the 475th scholarship awarded since 2001, totaling $300,250.

Recipients must attend a school in Allen County and are usually nontraditional students, Timmermeister said.

"They are often supporting a family and are the only breadwinner in the house," he said. "That is pretty doggone important and that's pretty tough to be paying for college at the same time that you're making enough money to feed your family and clothe them and house them."

The scholarships used to be for $500, but the club now awards $750. Some students have been recipients multiple times. A total of 325 people have received scholarships, some going to school to get a better job and others to maintain their current jobs, Timmermeister said.

"We've gotten some very nice letters back from people who are very grateful and realize that we have given them some help that would allow them to do something that in all probability they wouldn't," he said.

The scholarships, which are awarded four times a year, are funded through member donations and the annual Rex Perry Memorial Golf Outing. The scholarships are paid directly to the school. Timmermeister said club members believe the scholarship program is one of the most important things they do.

Today's recipients are Tyler Benjamin, of Bluffton, Amy Kimmey, of Delphos, Gordon Music Jr., of Ada, and Christel Akers, Jessica Barnes, Ana Brownlow, Elena Duncan, Tracy Frankhouser, Mattie Hamby, Samantha Heffner, Samantha Howard, Nicholas Jacobs, Edcota Skinner and Amy Winegardner, all of Lima.