Chapter 939 Holds Raffle to Fund Scholarships

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 939 in Hays, Kan., recently raffled 170 lbs. of beef to fund scholarships for northwest Kansas high school seniors pursuing higher education.

The big winner was Nathan Stormet, a Vietnam veteran who grew up in Hays and bought $200 worth of tickets. “One of our members out of state bought a whole bunch of tickets,” John Pyle, chapter president, told the Hays Daily News. “He told us, ‘If I win, donate the prize.’”

Using proceeds from last year’s raffle, the chapter awarded four $1,000 scholarships in September for students entering the 2018-2019 school year. Recipients Denton Schurr, Brendon Zweifel and Marlena Guzman are now attending branches of the North Central Kansas Technical College; Abria Fisher is enrolled at the University of Kansas.

Applicants must be high school seniors and live in one of the 18 counties Chapter 939 represents. When evaluating scholarship applications, it isn’t necessarily the students with the highest grades who stand out, Pyle noted. “We want to see kids who give of themselves and are not just receiving everything,” he said. “Income is a factor, too. We’ll put a lot of weight on need.”

 

 

---

---

---