Gresham scholarship fund reaches $1 million

In late fall of 2020, the Gresham Scholarship Fund reached $1 million.

“When we first started, I was encouraged to see the fund grow to $100,000,” said Bob Klopke, president and one of the founding board members of the Gresham Scholarship Fund. “With it getting there so fast, I knew we could get to $1 million.”

The fund, created 20 years ago, started by giving $400 scholarships to graduating seniors who qualified. That number has grown to $3,250 in 2021.

That’s more than half again last year’s $2,000 award to qualifying graduates.

“This was an unusual jump for us,” said Klopke, who has served as Gresham Community School’s principal in the past. “But members on the board felt it was necessary.”

In order to qualify for the scholarship, graduating seniors need to apply online, have a 2.0 grade point average or better, and have a plan to further their education. The scholarship will be awarded after graduates finish the first semester of their continued education.

The Gresham School District has an average of 19 students in each class. With this number in place, typically 50% of the graduating class qualify and accept the scholarship.

When Klopke was principal, he would experience parents and grandparents coming up to him and handing him checks to be used for the fund. This is when Klopke realized that trust had been built within the community.

“It was a good feeling having the community supporting this,” said Klopke. “Being available to meet with those donors was a big thing for the community, I think.”

The awarded scholarship money is expected to remain at $3,250 for the near future.

“We don’t want to go down in how much we are putting into the scholarship, so the $3,250 will remain consistent for the near future,” said Klopke.

The money that has been donated to the scholarship fund has come from graduates and the community around the school. Gresham scholarship dinners are also held annually with proceeds going to the fund.

The scholarship funds are held by the Shawano Area Community Foundation, which is under the umbrella of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

This money is then invested in order to expand it. With this money, the graduating seniors have an opportunity to open a better future for themselves and ultimately get a head start on the rest of their lives.

Klopke and those in charge of the fund have noticed that even without a lot of big donations, that the smaller donations do in fact make a difference.

“Getting to $1 million really shows the power of what people can do when they can’t afford to donate a lot,” said Klopke. “Even though small donations come in, it adds up to a lot.”

With those in the community being supportive of the fund and donating what they can, Klopke wanted to extend his appreciation, not only for donating, but also assisting in getting these seniors started on the right track.

“We are just very grateful for all those who have helped out and contributed,” he said. “We hope that the students value this money, and we hope that it can help them start a better life.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com