Dollars for Scholars campaign begins Tuesday

Saturday, January 16, 2010

FORT SCOTT, Kan.-- Each year for nearly three decades, a fundraiser at Fort Scott Community College has been successful in raising money that benefits many students who attend the two-year college.

The FSCC Alumni and Friends Association is preparing for the 28th annual Dollars for Scholars Phon-A-Thon, which begins Tuesday at the college. During the event, dozens of volunteers call groups of FSCC alumni and other people in the community and across the United States who are associated with the college to ask for donations that go toward several scholarships available to FSCC students.

"It goes into a student scholarship fund," FSCC Alumni and Institutional Advancement Officer Jill Warford said.

The fundraiser will involve 10-15 volunteers -- including FSCC students, staff, Alumni and Friends Association board members, and student ambassadors -- making phone calls for a few hours each night during the five-night event.

The association typically has a goal each year of $100,000 that it meets through pledges and donations during the Phon-A-Thon and other fundraising efforts in the community, Warford said.

"There is usually an overall goal of $100,000," she said. "During the Phon-A-Thon, we get about $30-$40,000 just through phoning and with other donations throughout the year, it all adds up each year to $100,000."

Despite a struggling economy in recent years, the Phon-A-Thon has been a successful endeavor each year for the association and has continued to bring in donations.

"Some people we call mention the economy, but we didn't really see a big change (in donations) at all," Warford said.

During last year's Phon-A-Thon, volunteers were successful in raising about $7,000 in pledges and donation on the first night of the fundraiser, and nearly $5,000 in pledges and donations on the second night of the event.

Volunteers are able to eat dinner at 5 p.m., and make calls from 6 to about 8:30 or 9 p.m. each night of the fundraiser. A few local restaurants provide meals for callers each night, Warford said.

While the Phon-A-Thon is the association's biggest fundraiser each year, pledges and donations can be made at any time.

The first Phon-A-Thon at FSCC was conducted in 1982 and was successful in raising about $6,700 toward student scholarships. The Alumni and Friends Association, which was established in 1983, also sponsors several other FSCC fundraisers and projects throughout the year.

The association maintains a computerized database of information on FSCC alumni dating back to 1919, when the college was founded, that it uses to conduct the annual Phon-A-Thon.

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