“We wanted to get the kids of the knobs and off the streets and keep them in the classroom after high school,” he said.

Hudson agreed with Lockhart’s view of the kind of scholarship program they were looking at starting.

“We wanted to reward average kids who were doing above average work in the classroom and also participating in activites outside the classroom,” said the former superintendent of Kentucky School for the Deaf.

Hudson and Lockhart contacted education, business and community leaders, and they found considerable interest in their idea for a scholarship program. With the help of attorneys for local school boards, the two men and others involved in the project formed the Dollars for Scholars foundation.

“We affiliated ourselves with the national Dollars for Scholars program, but we operate on an entirely local basis,” said Hudson.

In addition to Hudson and Lockhart, the local board includes Ted Baker, Steve Becker, Valery McMann, Evelyn G. Page, Laura Hoffman, Michael Spears, Nellie McKnight, Bill Owens, Lauren Serey, Bill Shaver, Jim Sullivan and Tom Tye.

“Our membership represents a good cross-section of local educators, businesspeople and community leaders,” Lockhart said.

Donations are sought from local businesses and individuals, but the biggest single fundraiser is an annual golf scramble at the Danville Country Club. This year’s event is Sept. 13.

“Every cent of what we raise at the scramble and what we receive through donations goes directly into the scholarships,” said Lockhart. “Any so-called administrative costs and other expenses are paid out of the pockets of board members and other supporters of the foundation.”

Students who are residents of Boyle County and who attend Danville High School, Boyle County High School, Danville Christian Academy or Kentucky School for the Deaf may apply for a Dollars for Scholars scholarship, Lockhart said.

“A team reviews each application, and generally what they are looking for are kids who pass their classes and do well in as many as possible, mind their teachers and administrators and participate in extracurricular activities ,” he said.

The team isn’t looking just for students who are going to college, said Lockhart.

“The scholarship can be applied to four-year college expenses, sure, but it also can be used at a two-year college or a technical school of one kind or another,” he said. “Education and the careers they help young people enter comes in many forms, not just at a four-year college.”

Lochart cited one former Dollars for Scholars student who used his scholarship to help finance an education in diesel engine work.

“He now has a productive and successful career in the field he studied for with the help of the scholarship,” he said.

That former scholarship recipient and several others have communicated their thanks to the Dollars for Scholars board, including a young woman who went onto statewide celebrity, Lockhart said.

“We received a very nice thank you from Maria Montgomery,” he said, referring to the former Miss Kentucky.

2010 scholarship

winners

The Danville-Boyle County Dollars for Scholars Foundation recently awarded 65 scholarships worth a total $35,000 to local high school students. In addition, three special scholarships from foundations that work in association with Dollars for Scholars Foundation also were awarded. The scholarships were announced at a ceremony on July 15.