Postville District Dollars for Scholars awards scholarships since 1992

Postville District Dollars for Scholars has been awarding scholarships to Postville High School seniors since 1992, and David Koopman has served on the Board of Directors since its onset. Koopman, who mentored PHS students for several decades as the high school guidance counselor, approached the district about forming a chapter in 1991 and he has been an integral part of the organization from the beginning. Currently, the vice president, Koopman also served several years as the president.

He explains the organization’s beginnings like this, “I first heard about Dollars for Scholars when I attended a counselor’s meeting at a neighboring school and I brought the idea back to our administration. Len Bruce was our high school principal and John Selk was the superintendent and they were both in favor of starting a chapter in Postville.”

“The purpose of the organization from the onset has been to provide financial aid and encouragement to students aspiring to earn a higher education,” he explained. 

Dollars for Scholars is an umbrella under the Citizens Scholarship Foundation of America and is operated by local volunteers. It is a nonprofit and tax exempt. The only obligation to the Citizens Scholarship Foundation of America was a one-time affiliation fee and an annual fee of $50. Local scholarships could be placed under the CSFA Umbrella for additional options like matching funds by colleges and universities.

The local organization received its charter on April 30, 1991 and the first members of the Board were Koopman, Robert Deering, Sandra Helgerson, Craig Converse, John Selk, Stan Straate, David Schutte, Karen Schutte, Bill Armentrout, Lorraine Sebastian and Dale Linderbaum.

One of the first goals, Koopman explained, was to match a gift from the McElroy Foundation. He said, “With much support from individuals, businesses and community organizations we were able to match the McElroy gift and beyond.”

Donations also came from memorials, honorariums and gifts. These gifts have continued to be an integral part of the group’s budget throughout the last 30+ years.

An Evening for Scholars was the first large fundraiser the group hosted. “This tradition,” Koopman said, “Continued for several years and included a meal, entertainment and an auction. We were fortunate to have several creative and talented people on the Board who did an excellent job. The kids shared their talent as well as we had vocal selections, speech presentations and other creative acts.”

The first Dollars for Scholars awards banquet was held in May 1992 with 23 students receiving scholarships amounting to $5,750. $2,850 was received from cooperating organizations and $800 from other community scholarships and $2,100 in potential college matches.

Funds continued to increase in the following years as more people began to make generous donations. Koopman said, “Other organizations got on the bandwagon as school groups, including FHA, and church groups and organizations such as Eastern Star shared proceeds from their fundraisers. The Lions Club was also very generous in giving us a portion of the profits from their annual fish fry.”

Not one to toot his own horn, records show that the Koopmans made a sizable donation each year in honor of all speech students who received a division I rating at individual and large group speech contests.

The group has been hosting an annual pancake breakfast since 1994 and, in recent years, students who volunteer at the breakfast receive an additional amount added to their scholarship.

With the program continuing to grow, a ‘Phone-A-Thon’ was initiated in 1996. The former guidance counselor said, “We had kids come to the high school office and make calls to solicit donations. That, however, has gotten more difficult in recent years as so few people have land lines and cell phone numbers are not readily accessible. To compensate in recent years we have replaced it with a “Mail-A-Thon.”

An endowment fund was established in 1999 with the first fund established as part of the Dorothy Holmes estate. 

With the incentive of receiving a Dollars for Scholars award, kids are encouraged to further their education. Dave commented, “This organization is a great way to let kids know we believe in them. The scholarship offers them a ‘pat on the back’ for their effort.”

The scholarship awards have grown substantially through the years. With the first recipients receiving $250, the recipients in 2025 received $550. These grants will be paid, as they are each year, after the student has successfully completed the first semester of education and is enrolled in the second semester. Students who helped with the Mail-A-Thon and Pancake Breakfast received an additional $100 for each event. All applicants are assigned an identification number, and the candidate’s identity is unknown to the awards committee. Award recipients are selected using the point system from Scholarship America’s Dollars for Scholars.

As the program has continued to thrive and survive over the past 34 years, over 1,145 students have applied for scholarships. Much thanks to everyone who has served on the Board and contributed to the success of Postville District Dollars for Scholars. 

Current board members are Greg Lage, Dave Koopman, JoAnn Jacobs, Glen Lansing, DeAnn Lenth, Denise Mauss, Noah Bentley, Jessica Deering, Isaac Jacobson, Debi Kirkestue and Becky Steffens. A special tip of the hat to David Koopman who proposed the program to Postville Community Schools in 1991 and has been a dedicated member of the Board of Directors since its inception.

The annual Postville District Dollars for Scholars Pancake Breakfast will be held this Sunday, January 25 at the Cora B. Darling All-Purpose Room. Everyone is encouraged to attend this event and help generate funds for PHS seniors as they prepare to continue their education.