Rotary Club Of Bristol Accepting Applications For Scholarship Program

By Brian M. Johnson, The Bristol Press

December 1, 2021

The Rotary Club of Bristol is now accepting applications for its annual Karl J. Schwartz college scholarship program.

The program will award up to $8,000 to up to 10 deserving students, which is renewable for up to four years. The deadline for applications is 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 via learnmore.scholarsapply.org/bristolrotary.

“As part of the application, students will also put together an essay about the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self’ means to them,” said Jim Albert, chair of the Bristol Rotary Scholarship Fund, Inc.

The local club has demonstrated its commitment to that motto by recently donating $37,000 to the food pantry at Zion Lutheran Church as part of a Thanksgiving fundraiser with Liberty Bank. This holiday season, club members will be assisting The Salvation Army with its bell-ringing campaign.

Eligible applicants must be graduating high school seniors from Bristol Eastern High School, Bristol Central High School, Saint Paul Catholic High School, Lewis Mills High School, Terryville High School, Southington High School or Plainville High School. They must be residents of Bristol, Burlington, Plymouth/Terryville, Southington or Plainville and are required to attend an accredited four-year college or university as a full-time student for the entire academic year.

“The scholarship recipients are determined by academics, community involvement, financial need and leadership roles in school,” added Albert. “We usually end up having a nice dinner at Chippanee Country Club to give out certificates to the students, who come with their parents and instructors. The dinner is typically held in May or June.”

The Karl J. Schwartz college scholarship fund, Albert said, was established thanks to the generosity of its namesake, who was a Rotary Club member in the 60s and 70s.

“The number of scholarships and the amount per student has been increasing each year since the scholarship started 30 years ago,” said Albert. “Initially, it was one or two scholarships and just a couple thousand dollars.”

More information is available at learnmore.scholarsapply.org/bristolrotary or at the guidance offices of the seven eligible high schools.

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.