Local News - June 2003

Rotary to fund 98 loans

Published June 9, 2003

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

A record number of Lincoln County students will attend college this fall with the aid of low-interest student loans from the county’s three Rotary Clubs.

The Lincoln County Rotary Student Loan Fund will supply 98 students with $2,000 loans each. Last year, the fund paid for 92 loans.

The loans are primarily covered by the Lincolnton Rotary Auction, held in April for the 10th time.

“The Rotarians are grateful for the support that the county has provided to keep this fund-raiser going each year to continue to provide these loans,” said Gaye Howard, the student loan fund administrator.

The actual auction, Howard said, only provides part of the money raised during the auction weekend. The Rotary Clubs collect money from a café, a raffle, silent auctions, sponsorships and other activities associated with the event.

Throughout the year, the clubs hold smaller, additional fund-raisers to contribute money. At its meetings, the Lincolnton club has “Happy Bucks,” allowing Rotarians to make personal announcements for $1.

The 3 percent interest that students pay on the loans is also put back into the loan fund.

Although this year’s deadline has passed, applications for next year can be downloaded from the Rotary Auction Web site: www.rotarylinc.org.

Anyone from Lincoln County who wants to attend an accredited university as a full-time student can apply for a loan. Students must maintain a 2.0 grade-point average and have two cosigners.

According to Howard, most of the applications are from students who just graduated from high school or are in the middle of undergraduate studies. People returning to school to pursue a master’s degree are, however, eligible as well.

The application deadline for next year is May 1.

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Staff Writer Jeremy Ashton can be reached at 704-735-3031 or jashton@ltnews.com.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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