Warden raises $23K for scholarships

WARDEN - Residents, businesses and organizations combined to raise $23,000 in scholarships for the Warden High School class of 2013.

"This is one of the best years that we've ever had," said Barbara Graham, participant in the Warden Dollars for Scholars chapter. The chapter raised $7,500 during the 2012-13 school year through a number of fundraisers, ranging from steak feeds to selling pavers around the entrance to the Warden High School gym.

The Warden Volunteer Firefighters Memorial scholarship distributed $4,000 to Warden seniors in 2013. It's funded entirely by the volunteer firefighters, and many of them donate their fire department stipends to the fund, Graham said. "The amount that the firefighters come up with - that's amazing," she said.

The Warden Education Association and Public School Employees of Warden each donate $2,000 per year, and the PSE chapter kicks through even though they start from a relatively smaller pool of money, Gibson said. The Warden Lions Club also raised $2,000 for scholarships and has been doing that for a number of years, she said.

Warden graduate Dave Reynolds and his wife Liane also donated $2,000 in scholarships, a $1,000 award in memory of his parents and a second in recognition of longtime Warden teacher Bob Trammel. Applicants for the Trammel scholarship are required to submit essays as part of the process, and Trammel is the judge, Gibson said. Trammel also gave the award to the winner during the scholarship ceremony, she said.

The Wilbur-Ellis branch in Warden donated a $2,500 scholarship from the company's Impact Fund, Gibson said. The US Bank branch in Warden donates a $500 scholarship, and so does Weinstein Beverage, based in Wenatchee but doing business throughout north central Washington.

Graham said the donations are greatly appreciated. "Even if we're just looking at a $1,000 scholarship, it makes a difference," she said.