“I want to see more opportunities for kids to move on to college or trade school and do something productive.”
The PV Chamber Ambassadors got behind the program and have helped to raise money each year through a 50/50 raffle at the Chamber Quarterly Breakfast, raffles at the Alive After 5 monthly mixers, and volunteering at the Foothills Snack Bar at the Findlay Toyota Center, from which a portion is donated to the fund. Chamber Ambassador President Tiffany Talbot said she has set a goal of $15,000 in scholarships for the 2026 year.
“I want to see more opportunities for kids to move on to college or trade school and do something productive. It’s great for the community and it helps all of our businesses,” she said.
From the program’s beginning, the awards have not necessarily been about the highest achieving students, as those students generally have multiple scholarships, Talbot said. “We look at the bigger picture – kids maybe not at the top of the class, but who, without that scholarship, might not have the opportunity to go to college or trade school.”
Applicants for the PV Chamber scholarships must be graduating from a Prescott Valley school or live in Prescott Valley, and scholarships are awarded for attendance at any accredited university, college, business or technical/trade school. Applicants also must provide their school transcripts and a 300-500-word essay describing their goals and plans, and the challenges they have conquered to graduate.
Talbot said many of the students who apply for the scholarships have overcome hardships to graduate, such as being homeless for a time or losing a loved one in the family. “Some of those are really hard to read. You want to give scholarships to all who apply, but we don’t have that money.”
Talbot says she has a passion for the program and loves seeing the students’ appreciation when awarded the scholarships. “It’s fun just to see their faces.” QCBN
By Heidi Dahms Foster
To donate or for more information about the PV Chamber Scholarship program, call Rachelle Skvarek at 928-772-8857 or visit www.pvchamber.org.
Photo by Heidi Dahms Foster: Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors work in the Foothills Snack Bar at Findlay Toyota Center to raise money for scholarships.
Leave a Reply