Variety Boys and Girls Club to Jump-Start College Educations

The Variety Boys and Girls Club will award $96,000 in scholarships to 24 students from Salesian, Roosevelt and Garfield high schools.

The Variety Club, the club’s parent organization, held golf tournaments and other fund-raisers throughout the year for the scholarships, said program director Judy Zdravje. This is the 21st year that the club has awarded scholarships, she said.

Students must be members of the club, at 2530 Cincinnati St., have a 3.0 grade-point average or score 700 or better on the SAT. Then they must undergo an interview process, first by a board of community members and then by the parents, Zdravje said.

The interviewers were interested in the students’ goals, financial needs, involvement in school and in the club, she said. Six students will receive the Al Lapidus Memorial Award, named after a former club board member, at $10,000 each.

The rest will receive the Variety Club Award at $2,000 each. They will receive the money when they submit proof that they have registered for college, Zdravje said.