INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — This past Nov. 1, Dollars for Scholars of Indian River County was excited to announce its new name, Scholarship Foundation of Indian River County, in a rebranding event which included the unveiling of the new sign at its facility located at 333 17th St., Ste. T, in Vero Beach.
The name change is part of a rebranding initiative to better align the organization’s name with its sole mission to be a local community organization committed to the students of Indian River County.
Originally founded in 1964 by Dan K. Richardson and local Rotarians with a vision and mission of helping local students realize their dream of going to college by providing need-based scholarships, the organization fulfilled that mission by awarding $8.6 million to 2,665 college-bound Indian River County students from 1965-2013.
“Since our inception, our mission has been to offer hope, encouragement, and scholarship opportunities to Indian River County students with financial need who demonstrate the desire and academic ability to succeed in pursuing a post secondary education,” said Kathryn Block Faires, president of the organization and daughter of Samuel Block, an honorary director who joined the organization in 1973.
“During our time as a chapter of Scholarship America’s Dollars for Scholars program, we developed an efficient platform, staff, and base of generous local donors who supported our cause and grew to become one of the largest chapters in the county.
Now, the national organization is implementing a number of administrative changes affecting all chapters that we feel would hamper our pursuit of our mission by diverting our focus and resources from what matters most to us: supporting our local community by providing local support to local students.
Our new name honors our roots as a local scholarship foundation and reflects our firm commitment to continuing to support our local community,” Faires added.
“Our organization has been successfully providing scholarships for 48 years, and our goal is to continue doing so. By continuing to serve the community under a new name, we will be able to protect our assets, donors, and students and continue to use our existing infrastructure which has served us well.
We have enjoyed being part of the larger, national Dollars for Scholars organization, but we feel this change is needed to continue to successfully manage our local program,” stated Camilla Wainright, executive director.
Scholarship Foundation of Indian River County will remain a local 501(C)3 nonprofit organization focused on providing scholarships to Indian River County students. The rebranding reflects a name change only, and the organization’s mission, as well as its staff and board members, will remain the same.
For more information on Scholarship Foundation of Indian River County, formerly Dollars for Scholars of Indian River County, including information on how you can support Indian River County students by establishing a scholarship fund, please call Executive Director Camilla Wainright at (772) 569-9869 or visit the organization’s website at www.SFIndianRiver.org.
