Our history
The Dollars for Scholars program began in 1958, when Dr. Irving Fradkin in Fall River, Massachusetts set a goal to collect $1 from everyone in Fall River to create scholarships for students interested in pursuing higher education. His first dollars were collected from John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Eleanor Roosevelt. Now known as Scholarship America, Dollars for Scholars became a national organization in 1961, and the all-volunteer Vestal Dollars for Scholars program was started by then-Vestal Central School District Superintendent Michael Pavlovich, along with Julie Scullard and Gill Chubb. Since then, over 2,500 students who reside in the Vestal district have been awarded over $1.7 million in scholarships.
Organizational highlights
1990 - Founded with initial funding from the Vestal Rotary Club.
1991 - Held first phone-a-thon, awarded first scholarships (five awards totaling $2,500)
1992 - First wreath sale, first organizational scholarships (17awards in total)
1993 - 26 scholarships awarded
1994 - 32 scholarships awarded
1995 - Permanent endowment fund started
1996 - First golf tournament, first memorial fund established by Dr. Bagwan Gajwani
1997 - Grave Avery $200,000 gift, 66 scholarships awarded
2000 - 111 awards totaling $46,000
2005 - 140 awards totaling $68,900
2010 - 101 awards totaling $67,450
2015 - 94 awards totaling $69,500
2018 - 98 awards totaling $90,250
2019 - 88 awards totaling $92,750
2020 - 89 awards totaling $110,950
2021 - 86 awards totaling $119.050
Total: 2,726 awards totaling $1,703,045 over the last 30+ years!!
