Through the years, Coon Rapids High School seniors have been able to head off to college with a little extra cash in their pockets thanks to a successful community scholarship group. But as donors grow stingy in a poor economy, college-bound Coon Rapids students might find their pockets a little lighter next fall.
The Coon Rapids Community Scholarship Association began its annual hunt for donations last week and while the group still has months to gather money for the graduating senior class, expectations are being tempered by the harsh reality of an economy that is anything but donation friendly. The association would be content with a 10 percent to 20 percent decrease in donations, but there's no way to tell how large the drop-off is going to be, longtime association member Bruce Frank said.
Last year the association, which has about 15 members, raised $156,000 and was able to provide 196 seniors with scholarships ranging from $500 to a few thousand dollars. Frank said he expects there will be 30 to 40 students who would have earned a scholarship last year, but won't this year due to a lack of funds.
Frank, who has been with the association since 1977, said there is added pressure on the association to raise money this year because spiking unemployment rates and climbing tuition make it difficult for some families to afford college. The University of Minnesota, one of the most highly attended colleges for Coon Rapids High students, is expected to increase tuition by about 7 percent next year.
"We're seeing businesses that are closing their doors," Frank said. "I really don't see a lot of light at the end of the tunnel."
The association also took a hit when the smoking ban was passed in fall 2007. In the past, the association received donations from several service organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars that had charitable gambling programs.
Once gamblers were no longer allowed to smoke, they took their game elsewhere and their money along with them, Frank said.
The smoking ban alone costs the association up to $10,000 per year in lost funds, Frank said.
Despite the poor economy, the association still has a group of go-to donors who have given in the past and plan to chip in again this year. For more than nine years the Park River Estates Care Center in Coon Rapids has annually donated $500 to the association, and has no plans of stopping, center administrator Tom Pollock said.
"You have to look at the budget and ask if it's worth it, and this is one expense that's very well worth it," Pollock said.
Kelley Scott, an assistant principal at Coon Rapids High School, said he thinks some people underestimate how quickly small donations can add up.
"I don't think [the scholarship association] gets enough credit, and I don't think that people realize how much money they actually raise for us," Scott said.
Since 1966, the association has raised a total of $2.4 million and given out more than 4,000 scholarships to Coon Rapids students.
Alex Robinson is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.
