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Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars
Detroit
Hero Story
Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars empowers and supports students to achieve post-secondary success. Accomplished through a 10-12th grade high school program and a post-secondary coaching model, the organization supports approximately 1,000 students a year through transformational experiences and scholarships.
Beginning in 1990, four community members came together with a common mission to help local students at Willow Run High School see what was possible after they walked across the stage as high school graduates. By taking trips to campuses like the University of Detroit Mercy, these few members began to make a difference and inspire students to dream bigger for their futures. As time went on, students were excited to head to post-secondary education, but weren’t sure how to navigate the cost. In 1995 the organization joined forces with the nation’s largest scholarship provider, Scholarship America, becoming Willow Run/Ypsilanti Dollars for Scholars. This partnership granted the organization a 501(c)3 status and allowed them to begin raising funds and giving out scholarships to the students they worked with.
In 2012, those same committed neighbors realized that they wanted to make a larger impact throughout the Southeast Michigan region, and created a plan to expand, renaming themselves Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars.
Today, DRDFS serves nearly 400 high school students and over 600 alumni in Southeast Michigan annually and is partnered with 15 schools across Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties. From 10th grade through high school graduation, students participate in programming that includes tailored campus visits, post-secondary application assistance, etiquette and networking workshops, FAFSA completion, leadership development, and SAT preparation and 1:1 transition and persistence coaching while in post-secondary education. DRDFS has awarded scholarships exceeding $2.6 million to more than 1,700 students since 1990, and the alumni network grows each year.
Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars
Detroit
Hero Story
Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars empowers and supports students to achieve post-secondary success. Accomplished through a 10-12th grade high school program and a post-secondary coaching model, the organization supports approximately 1,000 students a year through transformational experiences and scholarships.
Beginning in 1990, four community members came together with a common mission to help local students at Willow Run High School see what was possible after they walked across the stage as high school graduates. By taking trips to campuses like the University of Detroit Mercy, these few members began to make a difference and inspire students to dream bigger for their futures. As time went on, students were excited to head to post-secondary education, but weren’t sure how to navigate the cost. In 1995 the organization joined forces with the nation’s largest scholarship provider, Scholarship America, becoming Willow Run/Ypsilanti Dollars for Scholars. This partnership granted the organization a 501(c)3 status and allowed them to begin raising funds and giving out scholarships to the students they worked with.
In 2012, those same committed neighbors realized that they wanted to make a larger impact throughout the Southeast Michigan region, and created a plan to expand, renaming themselves Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars.
Today, DRDFS serves nearly 400 high school students and over 600 alumni in Southeast Michigan annually and is partnered with 15 schools across Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties. From 10th grade through high school graduation, students participate in programming that includes tailored campus visits, post-secondary application assistance, etiquette and networking workshops, FAFSA completion, leadership development, and SAT preparation and 1:1 transition and persistence coaching while in post-secondary education. DRDFS has awarded scholarships exceeding $2.6 million to more than 1,700 students since 1990, and the alumni network grows each year.