Laserfiche WebLink
<br />WS – Item 7 <br /> <br />WORK SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />Work Session Item 7 <br /> <br /> <br />Date: October 3, 2022 <br /> <br />To: City Council <br /> <br />From: Lisa Lamey, Rookery Activity Center Manager <br /> <br />Re: Rookery Scholarship Program <br /> <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />The Rookery Activity Center has received a few inquiries about offering a scholarship <br />program for membership or programs. The former Parks and Recreations department <br />previously offered a scholarship to families that qualified for free/reduced lunches from <br />the school district. The department subsidized program fees for families based on request. <br /> <br />The Rookery Activity Center feels that having a scholarship program is important to be <br />more inclusive and expand the number of the members of the community that could <br />utilize a Rookery membership or programming that may not be able to afford the current <br />prices. A scholarship program will also give The Rookery the ability to be able to <br />advertise in the school districts. Often times, school districts require the programs or <br />organizations be accessible for all students to in order to be eligible to be sent out to the <br />students. This would significantly increase the amount of families that would be exposed <br />to The Rookery and the programs that we offer. <br /> <br />The Rookery Staff has drafted a proposal for a short-term and long-term option to offer a <br />scholarship program. <br />The short-term plan includes the following <br />1. Allocate $5000 from the current Rookery budget to a dedicated account that <br />would provide the funding for a scholarship programming. <br />2. Identify areas/programs where we can raise money to supplement the scholarship <br />fund. <br />a. At the Grand Opening Celebration, ducks were sold for the rubber duck <br />water slide race at $1. We raised $79 to be added to the scholarship fund. <br />3. Create opportunities for members or non-members to donate to the fund (non- <br />taxable donation). <br />a. Create a tab on the CivicRec registration system that would allow anyone <br />to donate any dollar to the fund. <br />4. Supply application form for interested applicants with eligibility criteria and <br />levels of available scholarships. <br /> <br />The long-term goal is to find a local 501c3 organization to partner with to be able to offer <br />the scholarship program as tax deductible for donations and future development.