Those of us who live in Oak Park and River Forest know that our communities are generous, caring and unique. A shining example of this incredible community spirit is the Oak Park and River Forest High School Scholarship Foundation.
The OPRFHS Scholarship Foundation is celebrating its 90th anniversary in October, and I want to take this opportunity to introduce the Scholarship Foundation to those who may not be familiar with the storied history of an organization whose singular mission is to provide financial support for our graduating seniors as they venture into the world of higher education.
Here are “Ten Things You May Not Know about OPRFHS Scholarship Foundation”:
10. The Scholarship Foundation is one of the oldest public high school scholarship groups in the country, if not the oldest. It was in 1924 that a group of community members donated the bonds they had purchased for the building of the OPRF athletic stadium to create a new foundation at OPRF that would provide funds to help graduating seniors attend college.
9. Initially, the Scholarship Foundation trustees chose four graduates of OPRF and each received a $250-$500 college scholarship that was renewable for four years of college. These early scholarships generally covered the entire cost of a recipient’s college education.
8. In 1998, the scholarship amount was increased to $1,000 though they were no longer renewable.
7. The endowment of the Scholarship Foundation, which is managed by the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation, has grown from $12,000 in 1970 to $157,000 in 1990 to more than $1.2 million today!
6. The Scholarship Foundation is a community-based nonprofit organization with a 15-person volunteer board. One-hundred percent of donations go toward supporting scholarships.
5. In recent years, the foundation has increased the number of scholarships that are given each spring, enabled in large part by the generosity of parents, retirees, alumni, and friends of the high school.
4. The foundation currently manages 68 scholarships, including 32 endowed and 20 annual awards, covering a wide spectrum of student interests such as the arts, athletics, technology, business and science.
3. At the May 2014 Honors Convocation, more than $55,000 was awarded to graduating seniors.
2. OPRF seniors are encouraged to learn more about these scholarship opportunities from their counselors or on the high school’s homepage in early second semester.
1. The OPRFHS Scholarship Foundation has announced a special 90th anniversary appeal to increase the number of scholarships and amount of support the foundation can offer students, who are looking at ever-increasing college costs.
Please contact us for additional information, including learning more about endowed, general, and annual scholarships at scholarshipsoprfhs@gmail.com.
Melanie Weiss is manager of the Oak Park and River Forest High School Scholarship Foundation.