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McCook Rotary Club partners with local and regional foundations to maximize scholarship awards
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook Rotary Club partnered with the McCook Education Foundation to submit an application to the Kinman -- Oldfield Foundation of Hastings for a matching grant. To be eligible for a match the Rotary Club needed a 501 © 3 partner that would agree to deposit funds raised through the Rotary efforts. The McCook Education Foundation stepped up to assist. The Rotary Club started with their annual $1,000 scholarship fund and raised an additional $1,000 through generous Rotarians.
The Rotary Club was notified by the Kinman-Oldfield Foundation that the match would be forthcoming; allowing the club to award four $1,000 scholarships. Recipients of the scholarships are recent McCook High School graduates: Kyle Gaston, Betsy Hardin, Megan Rokusek and Emily Tolliver.
Kyle is the son of Rod and Pam Gaston. He plans to pursue education leading to a career in Wildlife Conservation. Betsy Hardin is the daughter of Ben and Susan Hardin. She will attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to begin her prerequisite courses for a degree in Language and Speech Pathology. Megan Rokusek is the daughter of Brian and Deb Rokusek. She will pursue a nursing degree through Nebraska Wesleyan. Emily Tolliver is the daughter of Rick and Mary Tolliver. She has been accepted in the Elementary Education program through the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
The four recipients are fortunate to have received the combined scholarships through the efforts of the McCook Rotary Club Scholarship Committee, Jason Loop representing the McCook Education Foundation and the generosity of Col Barney Oldfield and his wife Vada Kinman who originally established their foundation in 2000 to assist students with higher education. Their foundation has contributed more than $3 million to scholarship funds around the country.