Scholarship is an investment in kids’ future

Whether it pays for full tuition or covers the cost of books, it is a valuable and appreciated part of teenagers’ journey

James Vance, owner-operator of eight local McDonald’s franchises, poses in his McDonald’s at 6990 S. Rainbow Blvd. Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. Vance is also president of the Greater Las Vegas McDonalds Owner Operators Association. Since 1999, the local effort has awarded more than $3.1 million in Ronald McDonald House Charities scholarships, helping more than 1,300 Southern Nevada high school students.

Two thousand dollars. It might seem like a small amount when talking about the cost of college.

But $2,000 was a big deal this year for 148 Southern Nevada high school graduates who received college scholarships from the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas.

The scholarships provide financial aid to graduating high school seniors who face limited access to educational and career opportunities. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.7 and write an essay describing their financial need and career aspirations.

Scholarships are awarded by local chapters of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, with support from RMHC Global and the McDonald’s Corp. The Ronald McDonald House provides temporary homes where children and their families can stay for free while they undergo critical medical treatment.

The local chapter of Ronald McDonald House has offered scholarships to local students since 1999. Since then, it has awarded more than $3.1 million in scholarships to more than 1,350 students. About 500 applicants vie for scholarships each year.

McDonald's Scholarships

James Vance, owner-operator of eight local McDonald's franchises, poses in his McDonald's at 6990 S. Rainbow Blvd. Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. Vance is also president of the Greater Las Vegas McDonalds Owner Operators Association. Since 1999, the local effort has awarded more than $3.1 million in Ronald McDonald House Charities scholarships, helping more than 1,300 Southern Nevada high school students. Launch slideshow »

“It’s really difficult to choose with such great applicants,” said Janet Powelson, who owns and operates three McDonald’s franchises with her husband, Bob Powelson. “These students are active in schools. They are doing great things.”

Abegayle Borro, a recent graduate of Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy, will use her $2,000 award, along with two other scholarships, for her studies at Northern Arizona University, where she is a biomedical science major. She hopes to become an immunologist.

“I’m just very grateful for it,” she said. “It was a huge help.”

Click to enlarge photo

Cesar Gonzalez, is a freshman studying computer science at UNLV this fall.C

Cesar Gonzalez, 18, a Mojave High School graduate, is studying computer science at UNLV. The Ronald McDonald House Charities scholarship, along with Millennium and Valedictorian scholarships, will allow him to complete his bachelor’s degree debt free, he said.

Gonzalez immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 8 with his mother, a single woman who worked more than one job to make ends meet. He always had his eye on college but wasn’t sure it was in the cards financially.

“I want to be the first in my family to go to college,” he said. “My mother worked so hard to raise my brother and me. … School was out of the question for a while because we didn’t know if we could afford it. … But this takes a lot of pressure off our family and really helps us out.”

Leveraging opportunities

This year, in addition to the 148 scholarships for incoming freshmen, Ronald McDonald House Charities awarded another 52 alumni scholarships, $1,000 awards to college sophomores, juniors and seniors. Students who receive the scholarships as freshmen and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA can apply for an additional $1,000 for each of their next three years of school.

The initial $2,000 award also can be leveraged, said Stacie Lang, director of operations for the local chapter of Ronald McDonald House Charities. The charity partners with businesses that match a percentage of the initial award. For the 2014-15 school year, there are nine community partners.

“We are the only chapter from the RMHC Global organization to use community partners in this way,” Lang said.

This year alone, the group has raised more than $300,000, said James Vance, an owner-operator of eight local McDonald’s franchises and president of the Greater Las Vegas McDonald’s Owner Operators Association.

9 community partners

• 100 Black Men of America, Las Vegas chapter

• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Theta Omega chapter

• Delta Sigma Theta

• The Village Foundation, LJP

• HEAN — Hispanic Educators Association of Nevada

• The Links Inc.

• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.

• United Firefighters of Southern Nevada

• Through the Eyes of a Child Foundation

The effort is anchored by a spring fundraising drive, “Greens for Grads,” in which McDonald’s franchisees donate $1 for every Extra Value Meal purchased on a designated day. A portion of each store’s newspaper sales also is donated throughout the year.

The owner-operator cooperative includes about 110 restaurants and 25 owners. All operate local restaurants.

“That’s part of why this is so successful,” Vance said. “They want you to be Mr. and Mrs. McDonald’s in your area. We’re a worldwide brand, but locally, we’re small-business owners.”

Vance said the scholarships help business owners “change the conversation” on local education issues.

“We feel like we can be a part of furthering education for a lot of graduating seniors who otherwise wouldn’t be able to go,” Vance said. “Going through the applications is heartwarming.”

Sponsors also pride themselves on offering scholarships that are accessible to a wide range of students. Organizers have consider offering fewer, larger scholarships, “but we really feel we’re making a bigger impact by touching more people,” Bob Powelson said.

The scholarship business

Every year, businesses, groups and individuals nationwide offer students close to $3.3 billion in scholarships and grants, debt.org found. That’s in addition to the nearly $50 billion offered by the U.S. Department of Education, colleges and universities.

Even when times were economically tough, donors found money to give, said Nancy Strouse, executive director of the UNLV Foundation. Over the past three years, local businesses and corporations contributed $1.7 million in scholarship funding overseen by the foundation, she said.

“If a company owner has a generous heart, that really doesn’t go away,” Strouse said. “It may slow in bad times, but that giving is usually the philosophy of the individual or company.”

Tamara Krause, of Unigo Group, which offers guidance to students, parents and counselors about scholarships, grants and college-financing options, said the improving economy is encouraging more business owners to give. But she said scholarship opportunities often remain difficult to find.

“I’d like to see more companies really branching out and advertising them more,” she said. “If more people knew about them, they’d get better applicants, and more students would have access to funds.”

Just like those 148 from Southern Nevada did.

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