Rotary awards scholarships

Aug. 16—LIMA — Most times, we think of students getting scholarships right out of high school. That is not always the case.

The Lima Rotary has presented more than $878,00 in scholarship money to 1,151 people since it began the program in 2001. Many of the recipients have for one reason or another taken a circuitous route to their educational goals.

Dominic Stoner was looking to make a change. From his scholarship application, Stoner commented, "At this point in my career, my goal is to take a job that allows more family scheduling. I have worked 32 years in the restaurant industry that requires working all week and extra over holidays. My plan to achieve this goal is to attend Apollo Adult Education for welding and receive my American Welding Society certification. This scholarship will help immensely with out-of-pocket expenses."

Shonta Cotton will use her scholarship to attend the nursing program at Rhodes State College. When asked how important this scholarship was for her, Cotton replied, "It's very important. Actually, I didn't know how it was going to pay for my fall quarter. It was surprising when I got a phone call."

Danielle Blakeley is going to Rhodes State College specializing in radiographic imaging with a specialty in mammography and dexa bone scans. She said, "This scholarship has meant a lot. The past year, my dad's had some health issues. So getting the scholarship really made my day. When it came I was super excited. And I'm very thankful to receive that to help out."

Thirteen scholarships were given today by the Rotarians. Hopes are that soon the scholarship amount will exceed $1 million — monies coming from various sources including golf outings and donations to the Rotary Foundation.

Reach Dean Brown at 567-242-0409