NORWICH — The Norwich Dollars for Scholars will hold a Dollars for Scholars Week from May 1 to May 6 to promote their scholarship fundraising and their 20-year relationship with the Norwich community.

“This week is key to our mission of funding scholarships for Norwich seniors, and this year is also a celebration of a huge milestone – 20 years!” said Christine Edwards, current President of the DFS Board of Directors.

The first event of the week will be on Tuesday, May 2. This is a Give Back Night hosted by Nina’s Pizzeria from 4 p.m. to closing. 20 percent of all purchases made at that time, whether dine-in or take-out, will go directly towards a DFS scholarship.

Pat Dietrich, who oversees the student chapter of Norwich DFS, said Dave Schull of Nina’s Pizzeria have provided coupons that the Dollars for Scholars students will be giving out to be handed to the cashier or waitress when the order is placed. These coupons will also be available on our Facebook page.

“Dave has been great about hosting these Give Back Nights for Norwich Dollars for Scholars and many other organizations over the years, and we appreciate his support of our community,” said Dietrich.

Throughout the week, Norwich Dollars for Scholars will be highlighting their ongoing online campaign to raise money for scholarships. Donations may be made by going to their website at Norwich.DollarsForScholars.org or by linking directly to their online fundraiser at secure.givelively.org/donate/scholarship-america-inc-norwich-ny.

As always, 100 percent of the money raised goes towards scholarships for Norwich City School District students.

The Dollars for Scholars Week will end on Saturday, May 6, with two big events. The first is the return of a Golf Ball Drop. At 11:30 a.m., 1,000 golf balls will be dropped from the Norwich ladder truck in East Park in Norwich. The ball closest to the pin will win the $1,000 prize!

Each ball is $5 and tickets can be purchased from any student chapter or board member. They can also be purchased at Laral Management, located at 5 South Broad Street, from 8 to 4 p.m. through April 27.

Many thanks to our Golf Ball Drop sponsors: NYCM Insurance, NBT Bank, and Laral Management.

Before and after that event, a “Fill the Bus” bottle drive will be ongoing, also in East Park. Drop off your bottles and cans from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 6. Please separate glass bottles and place them in boxes for safety!

Thank you to our fundraising partner, Riverside Redemption, for their continued support with our bottle drives.

Norwich Dollars for Scholars is a local chapter of the national Scholarship America organization. 2023 is the 20-year milestone for the organization. In that time, DFS has given away $652,000 in scholarships exclusively to Norwich seniors. Last year alone, 71 scholarships totaling over $64,000 were given to deserving students.

“These fundraising events are one way we fund scholarships, but also important are all the donors from our community who believe in our mission and support the continued education of Norwich students,” said Edwards.

DFS consists of an all-volunteer board and a local student chapter. The kids work hard all year to put together events such as these to generate scholarships for their peers.

For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering with the organization, please contact Christine Edwards at 607-334-7305.

-Information provided by Norwich DFS