First Lutheran Church awards annual scholarships

First Lutheran Church has announced the 2011 recipients of scholarships and scholarship-loans.

Prior to 2011, the church paid $56,690 in 10 years toward the college educations of members? children. The annual awards approximate the earnings of the student loan fund, invested in the ELCA Foundation, This year $5,600 will be awarded, in shares of $800, to Lewis Russell, Megan Thompson, K.C. Lewiston, Rachel Robinson, Grant Curran, Rachel Schwarz and Jennifer Kuiken.

Russell is a junior at William Penn University, Thompson is a senior at Wartburg College, Lewiston is a graduate student at University of Oklahoma, Robinson is a junior at St. Ambrose University, and Kuiken is in her second year in physical therapy at University of Iowa. Curran is an incoming freshman at Kirkwood Community College, and Schwarz will be a freshman at Wartburg College.

Half of the amounts awarded through the scholarship-loan program are to be repaid within five years after each recipient completes his or her formal education, with no interest accruing during that time period. The scholarship-loans are made possible by the generosity of Helen Duncan and other members of First Lutheran.

In addition, the church is awarding the sum of $1,000 to Brittany Pacha, a senior at Iowa State University, and $400 each to Curran, Schwarz, Robinson and Kuiken.

The scholarships are made possible by the generosity of the families of Dillon and Kitty Turney, Dale and Mildred Krumboltz, and Dr. James and Allie Lu Dunlevy. The Dunlevy family scholarship is in its first year, and they contributed an additional $800 toward the other scholarships.