Newly-formed Mountain Lake Area Scholarship Program leaves behind Dollars for Scholars
A recent news release from the local Mountain Lake student scholarship organization notes that it is going independent with a new group. The Mountain Lake Scholarship Program has been formed, leaving behind the Dollars for Scholars chapter. Members of the former Dollars for Scholars chapter made the decision to form a more Mountain Lake-central organization, complete with new by-laws and articles of incorporation, for a variety of reasons – but the bottom line is the ability to keep the group’s dollars local.
According to Deb Wallert, a member of the new organization as well as the former chapter, “The Dollars for Scholars organization joined with Scholarship America in 2013. As part of that process, all local Dollars for Scholars chapters were asked to adopt a uniform set of policies and procedures. We (the Mountain Lake Dollars for Scholars chapter) met to go over the new guidelines, which included many positive changes – but also some requirements that were difficult for an organization of our size to meet.”
Wallert explains that some of the concerns local chapter members had included the required number of subcommittees per chapter, the need to meet periodically in St. Peter, the necessity of extra fund-raisers and the membership cost increase. “While we greatly appreciated their support throughout the years,” continues Wallert, “our members decided it was in our best interest to pursue establishing our own 501(C)3 organization to keep our dollars local and continue with our annual Pow Wow Pup food booth as the group’s fund-raiser.”
The initial Board of Directors includes Wallert, Misty Karschnik, Kurt Jahnke, Annette Kunkel, Jody Lepp, Jaime Banks, Jerry Logue, Ann Nelson, Kim Blomgren, Julie Brugman and Bryan Bargen.
This Board of Directors is asking the public for help in designing a logo to represent the new organization on signs, its website and documents. To that end, they are looking for talented local residents to submit a logo design.
Following are the Mountain Lake Area Scholarship Program logo contest rules:
* The contest is open to all residents of the Mountain Lake School District.
* All submitted entries become the property of the Mountain Lake Area Scholarship Program (MLASP).
* Submitted entries will not be returned to the applicant.
* Members of the MLASP Board of Directors are not eligible to participate.
* Entries must fit on 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper.
* The name, address and telephone number of the entrant must be attached separately to the design.
* MLASP words or initials must be included in the logo design.
* All entries should be mailed to MLASP, Post Office Box #144, Mountain Lake, MN 56159.
* The deadline for submissions is Thursday, March 27, 2014.
* All entries should be completed in black-and-white.
* Prize winners will be notified by phone.
The board will be meeting on Monday, March 17, at 4 p.m. in the Good Samaritan Society of Mountain Lake-The Village Conference Room, and welcomes new members. If interested, contact any board member to learn the date and time.
Concludes Wallert, “We are excited about continuing to help our local students with the cost of continuing their education.”
