The Brattleboro Rotary Club awarded $24,000 in scholarships to eight local high school students who are attending college this fall, and honored past recipients at a special dinner at the Brattleboro Country Club on August 18, 2011. The scholarships are funded by The Gateway Foundation, a tax-exempt affiliate of the Brattleboro Rotary Club.
 
This year’s recipients, who each received $3,000, include: Joshua M. Fontaine of Brattleboro, Stephanie M. LeQuier of Readsboro, Marianne R. Lucas of Brattleboro, Taylor F. Patno of Guilford, Nathan P. Sanderson of Hinsdale, Amie M. Schiller of Brattleboro, Maggie K. Schiller of Brattleboro, and Melissa Soule of West Wardsboro.

Several current and past Gateway Scholarship recipients are pictured from left to right:  Stephanie LeQuier (2011), Jessica Roemmelt (2007), Katherine Derby (2008), Kvehl McDermott (2009), Joshua Fontaine (2011), Kyra Pelz-Walsh (2009), Taylor Patno (2011), Daphne Kinney-Landis (2010), and Margaret Quassdorff (2008).    

According to Scholarship Committee Chairman John Mabie, "We are happy to be able to offer these scholarships, and hope the assistance will help lead each student a step closer to his or her goals."

The Brattleboro Rotary Club established the Gateway Foundation in 1986 to create a fund to support scholarships awarded annually to local students pursuing college. The Foundation, which is a nonprofit and tax-exempt organization, awards a total of $24,000 in scholarships annually. It is funded by Rotary Club and individual contributions, and is a local chapter of the National Dollars for Scholars program.

Applications are accepted each spring from graduating seniors at the following high schools: Brattleboro Union, Hinsdale, and Leland and Gray, as well as the Austine School. Criteria for the awards are academic achievement, financial need, and community service, all of which are weighed evenly.
 
For more information about the Brattleboro Rotary Club and its Gateway Foundation, contact John Mabie at 802-257-5292 x2 or visit the Brattleboro Rotary Club's website.