Scholarships are a pivotal asset in attending college. Most students rely on one or more scholarships just to attend. Some students have to work their way through college to pay for it.  CBS News reports that, “among full-time college students enrolled at four-year colleges, just 0.3% received enough grants and scholarships to cover the full cost of college.” At Royal Oaks Senior Living Community, the Residents have come together to make attending college easier for the ones that give back and care for them.

In 2017, several residents – including retired teachers and college professors – put their expertise together to come up with a scholarship system for employees at Royal Oaks that attend Dalton State College naming it the Residents of Royal Oaks Scholarship. First, they proposed the idea to the remaining body of residents, who accepted the scholarship 100%. Second, they established that any resident could donate to the scholarship and could donate any amount of funds at any time throughout the year. After establishment and approval by the Dalton State College Foundation, the founding residents of the scholarship spread the word to all employees who attend Dalton State. They wanted to make the application process easy and open to as many employees as available that met the requirements. Their requirements included:

• Must be a Full-Time Student at Dalton State College with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or Higher.
• Must be a Royal Oaks Employee and have worked here for one full year.
• Student is allowed to have any Major.

With these requirements the scholarship was well on its way to being a success its first year – awarding three $600 scholarships to three deserving employees.  And this past scholarship award season, the Residents of Royal Oaks Scholarship was able to award one $1,000 scholarship to an employee.

Every year the Residents of Royal Oaks Scholarship is controlled by the resident committee assigned to the scholarship.  We have had two BBQs to raise money for the scholarship, along with the community and loved ones giving in memory of those who have passed away.

Each monetary gift is another opportunity for one or more of our amazing employees to attend college with less worry, and less debt – so that they can give back their time and caring commitment to the ones that are helping them achieve their educational dreams.