Local rotary club donates $8K in scholarships to LFCC

By Kim Walter -- kwalter@nvdaily.com

The Rotary Club of Woodstock is donating eight $1,000 scholarships to Lord Fairfax Community College to be awarded to Shenandoah County students for the 2012-2013 academic year.

The eight students selected to receive the scholarships will split their $1,000 between the fall and spring semesters.

Dave Urso, Executive Director of the LFCC Foundation, said each scholarship will pay for one class per semester, and leave each student with a little extra money as well.

"They are the largest civic organization supporting LFCC students right now," Urso said of the club. The organization has donated for multiple scholarships in the recent years, and the eight they're sponsoring for next year is larger than the number they normally make possible, he said.

Recipients of the scholarship must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher, but Urso added that the Woodstock Rotary Club chose not to put an age requirement on the scholarships.

"Whether it's the 16-year-old who takes dual enrollment classes outside of their high school, or the 55-year-old who's pursuing a career change. ... it doesn't matter," Urso said.

According to a press release sent out by the LFCC Foundation on Monday, approximately 50 percent of Shenandoah County students pursuing higher education do so at LFCC.

"Many of them go right back into the community," Urso said. "We pull people in from Woodstock and put them into companies there."

The foundation offers more than 200 scholarships to those interested in attending LFCC.

"Without the support of the Woodstock Rotary Club and its scholarship, there is a significant portion of our service region that would be unable to attend LFCC," Urso said.