Dollars For Scholars Fall Phone-a-thon Raises More Than $1,800 in Pledges

Posted october 18, 2011

An October phone-a-thon raised more than $1,800 for the South Colonie Dollars For Scholars chapter, which will go toward scholarships to help the Colonie Central High School Class of 2012.

Twenty-three CCHS students joined Dollars for Scholars chapter board members in manning the phones on October 16th from the Metro Ford dealership, which donated the space once again this year. The students, all members of the Key Club or National Honor Society, called South Colonie Central School District residents during the afternoon. Their efforts resulted in 100 community pledges totaling $1,821, for an average pledge of $18.21.

View a photo gallery of this event

DFS chapter board members, under the guidance of Tami Sherry and Nick Saccone, assisted in training the students about phone courtesy, how to present the DFS scholarship program as a cold call, and record-keeping for the calls made and the pledges to be processed. In making the calls, students were encouraged to emphasize awareness about the DFS chapter’s vision: We will be the premier community partner to explore, pursue, create, and promote a range of existing and new scholarship opportunities for all Colonie Central High School students.

Thank you to the local businesses which supported their efforts. In addition to Metro Ford providing the space, Pizza Maré donated pizzas and Price Chopper provided beverage and snacks. Two student teams (Briana Morales and Lauren Paulsen, and Kawandi Young and Jaimee Walters) tied with the highest number of pledge donations. As a small ‘thank you,’ each student earned a $25 gift card for getting pledge commitments from 14 South Colonie families.

At the CCHS Awards Program in May 2011, the South Colonie DFS chapter presented scholarships totaling $29,025 in college assistance to 51 graduating seniors. Individuals, local businesses and organizations, and memorials honoring various persons are the main sources for scholarship donations. To supplement the chapter’s endowment program and increase the number of scholarships offered through the chapter, DFS also raises scholarship monies through various fund-raising activities, including this phone-a-thon. The next DFS fundraising activity is the Craft Fair at CCHS on November 19.

Nationally, the Dollars for Scholars program raised $58.7 million and awarded $43.2 million to 40,675 students in 2010. The New York State Dollars for Scholars chapters and affiliates raised $4.6 million and awarded $3.4 million to 4,484 students. Charity Navigator rates Scholarship America, the umbrella organization for the South Colonie Dollars for Scholars program, as a four-star charity for the last nine consecutive years.

For more info about how you can support this scholarship program, click here.