Ambassadorial Scholar

District 5870 actively participates annually in the oldest program offered by the RI Foundation, the Ambassadorial Scholarship.  Begun in 1947, the scholarship program ranks among the most prestigious ones in the world, including the Woodrow Wilson, Rhodes, and Marshall.  The one-year stipend, $26,000, is clearly a leader among elite scholarship programs.  Rotarians are justifiably proud of this wonderful opportunity offered to over 37,000 scholars since 1947.  RI sends hundreds of scholars annually to colleges and universities around the world.

The cost of this scholarship is paid from generous foundation giving from Rotarians of this district.  There is no cost to individual clubs to send a scholar.  The $26,000 stipend is part of the funds returned to this district each year from foundation donations contributed three years earlier.

During 2007-08, District 5870 will be sending two scholars, Lauren Elizabeth Denny and Jean Ann Elliott, as Ambassadorial Scholarship recipients to study abroad for a year.  Sometimes we have scholars from this district studying in London, Edinburgh, Madrid, Paris, or other distant locations.  Mega clubs and our smallest ones are on an equal footing in sponsoring applicants.  In fact, several recent recipients have come from clubs of modest size.

Each club in District 5870 is eligible to participate in this exceptional program.  To learn more about the Ambassadorial Scholarship program, visit RI’s website (www.rotary.org), click on RI Foundation, click on Educational Programs, and then click on Ambassadorial Scholarship.  Applicants can download the application from this website.