Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars earns national honor
Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars is pleased to announce that it has been selected as the 2015 H. Stuart and Marlys C. Johnson National New Affiliate of the Year by Scholarship America.
The New Affiliate of the Year award honors and recognizes Dollars for Scholars affiliates that have been performing outstanding service to their community for less than five years and that exemplify the commitment of Dollars for Scholars, a division of Scholarship America, ensuring all students have access to postsecondary education.
Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars (or EB211) was founded in 2013, by a group of retired educators to assist select graduates of District 211 schools. These students are the first generation in their families to attend college, and they all face significant financial hurdles in achieving their college dream. In order to address their challenges, EB211 matches each student on a one-to-one basis with a trained adult mentor who also is a college graduate. Each mentor is dedicated to helping his or her student-mentee prior to and throughout his or her entire college experience to maximize the student's academic success and personal growth. Additionally, EB211 both identifies available scholarships and raises money for direct financial assistance to its students. More information about Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars® can be found at excelbeyond211.dollarsforscholars.org.
"On behalf of Scholarship America, I would like to thank Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars for their exceptional service to students in their community," said Bob Ballard, president & CEO, Scholarship America. "We are thrilled to honor Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars with this prestigious award."
As the National New Affiliate of the Year, Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars will receive a $3,000 award for their scholarship program, and be recognized regionally and nationally for their contributions.
"We are thrilled that we were selected as the National New Affiliate of the Year," said Dr. Nancy Robb, the president of the Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars board of directors. "This award reflects on every student and mentor who has made EB211 the success it is today. While the EB211 family and community are tremendously passionate and knowledgeable about the primary mission of Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars, we would never be where we are today without the help of Scholarship America. Becoming a Dollars for Scholars Affiliate was one of the best decisions we made."
For more than 50 years, Scholarship America has worked directly with students, parents, colleges, businesses and communities to empower people to fulfill their college dreams. As the nation's largest provider of private scholarships, having distributed over $3.1 billion to more than 2 million students, Scholarship America is now working to further engage the private sector to support programs and policies that advance equity in postsecondary education and help students overcome barriers to access, persistence and attainment. More information is available at scholarshipamerica.org.