A new partnership between the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Cambridge Campus Foundation and the Braham Area Dollars for Scholars Foundation will offer three successful graduates of Braham High School a scholarship of up to $1500 to attend college’s Cambridge Campus.

“We really appreciated Jeff Edblad approaching us with the idea for this collaboration,” says Loren Nelson, Braham Area Dollars for Scholars vice-president and co-owner of Aurelius Manufacturing. “It is very exciting to be part of promoting higher education in the region, and a huge incentive for Braham students to consider attending Anoka-Ramsey. We want to send the clear message, that just because you are from a small town, it doesn’t limit your future.”

Depending on the number of qualified applicants and available funds, $500 from the Braham Area Dollars for Scholars program would go to selected students who successfully complete their first semester at Anoka-Ramsey and a second award of $500 in their second year for a total of $1000. Another $500 would come from the Cambridge Campus Foundation in the fall semester of their second year if the student maintains full-time enrollment and a minimum 2.5 grade point average.

“This is the second Dollars for Scholars partnership the college has initiated to benefit local students,” says Jeffrey Edblad, Chair of the Cambridge Campus Foundation. “We are hoping this establishing a trend for many Dollars for Scholar partnerships with all high schools in the area.”

It is estimated the scholarship will pay as much as 34 percent of the each student’s tuition for the first two years of their college education.

More about Dollars for Scholars

The Braham Area Dollars for Scholars Foundation chapter is a locally operated and supported, non-profit, tax-exempt scholarship foundation established in 1979.  Directed by a volunteer Board of Trustees, the purpose of Braham Area Dollars for Scholars Foundation is to expand access to higher educational achievement and/or vocational technical training. 

In the 30-plus years if its existence, the Braham Area Dollars for Scholars has provided 319 scholarship honor-loans totaling more than $224,200.

“Our Dollars for Scholars program is nearly self-sustaining,” says Susan Severson, Braham Area Dollars for Scholars secretary. “Scholarship students receive interest-free awards to pursue their post-secondary education, and then when they are successful, we ask them to reinvest in the program by donating back to the fund equal to what they were awarded. We, of course, also depend upon the generosity of community members, organizations and fund raisers for the continued growth of our fund in order to meet the growing number of students seeking financial assistance.”

To learn more about scholarships at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, or to inquire about a college scholarship partnership with your high school, contact the Anoka-Ramsey Institutional Advancement Office at 763-433-1130.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College Cambridge Campus Foundation Chair, Jeffery Edblad (second from left) and Braham Dollar for Scholars board members (from left) Susan Severson (Secretary), Louise Nelson (Fundraising Chair) and Loren Nelson (Vice President) celebrate the result of the collaboration of their two foundations: a $1500 scholarship for three  Braham Area High School graduate to attend Anoka-Ramsey’s Cambridge Campus.