Citizen’s Scholarship Foundation Celebrates a Half Century of Success

By Julie McCay Turner

Bedford Day 2014 will mark the start of Citizens Scholarship Foundation’s (CSF) 50^th anniversary celebration.

To celebrate this significant milestone, organizers are planning a year full of events, beginning on Bedford Day, with an invitation to all CSF Scholarship recipients to march in the parade. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have each year, or decade, represented in Bedford Day parade,” asked organizer Ron Stewart. To facilitate participation, there’s an online Sign-up Genius roster (click here to sign up) where prior scholarship recipients can sign up to march in the parade with others in their graduating class.

The celebrations will conclude next May when the 2015 award ceremony takes place at Bedford’s Doubletree Hotel.

Along with dozens of volunteers, Stewart and Eugene “Pete” Eagles have been working on the anniversary celebration since last May, gathering support among residents and school administrators alike.

Eagles co-chairs CSF’s Permanent Endowed Funds committee. CSF’s endowment has grown to more than $850,000, and interest generated by the endowment funds 48 of the scholarships that are awarded each year. “We would like to increase the Permanent Funds endowment by this year,” said Eagles, “it would be terrific if we could close CSF’s 50th year with a million dollars in the fund!” Click this link to learn more about the permanent, endowed scholarships.

History

On October 29, 1964, some six years after Dollars for Scholars was begun in Fall River, Bedford School Committee member John Goddu brought the program to Bedford; it was formally adopted in March, 1965 with Joseph Farwell as its first president.

The initial CSF door-to-door canvass asked that individuals contribute just a single dollar to the fund; 180 students participated, walking routes originally carved out by the Bedford Santa program. A grand total of $1,300 was raised, and awards were given to three students. In its second year, the program raised $2,300, shared among nine students. In 2014, its 49^th year, the program awarded $105,400 to more than 2,600 recipients.

CSF/Dollars for Scholars is now a division of Scholarship America, and since its inception Bedford has awarded more than $2,000,000 through the generosity of local businesses, families and individuals. Funds are generated in several ways:

Annual Phone-a-thon solicitation in March – more than $50,000 raised each year since 2010
48 Permanent Scholarships: Established through a minimum $5000 donation, funds are invested and generate annual interest that is distributed as scholarships. The program currently has $850,000 under investment.
35 Named Scholarships: These awards represent annual contributions of at least $250 from residents, businesses, organizations.

Bedford’s 2014 Citizen of the Year is Alma Pomponi, co-chair of the Student Phone-a-thon, for more than 20 years. Click here to read more about Alma.

50^th Anniversary Events in 2014 / 2015

Tuesday, September 16, 2014 –CSF of Bedford Fund Raiser at Flatbread
Saturday, September 20, 2014 –Bedford Day, CSF Parade, Booth
Sunday, November 9, 2014 –CSF of Bedford Community Celebration, Old Town Hall
Saturday, January 31, 2015 –CSF of Bedford Trivia Fund Raiser, St Michael Parish Hall
Early March 2015 – CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars Phone-a-thon weekend
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 –50^th Annual Scholarship Awards at the DoubleTree Hotel

In addition to the host of community volunteers who are involved in CSF/Bedford, the following individuals hold leadership positions.

Officers and Directors: President: Alice Churella; 1^st Vice President: Janet Werth; 2^nd Vice President: Pamela Thomas; Recording Secretary: Cheryl Johnston; Corresponding Secretary: Sarah Dorer; Webmaster: Laura Heyl; Treasurer: Theresa Dave; Assistant Treasurers: Ranjana Chheda and Jerome Pfeffer; Historian: Ronald Stewart; Directors: Deborah Hughes; Luanne Livesay; Shirley Kring; Robin Grace Silbert; and Sue Weidman.

Committee Chairpersons: Permanent/Endowed Scholarships, Co-Chairs: Eugene Eagles III and Bobbie Ennis; Named/Non-Endowed Scholarships, Co-Chairs: Laurie Cohen and Donald Criscione; Phone-a-thon, Co-Chairs: Alma Pomponi and Silvester Pomponi; Scholarship Selections: Laura Heyl; Reception, Co-chairs: Donna Poe and Nancy Thorsen; Publicity: Valerie Franks; Investment: Joel Shwimer.

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