News Release

Ed and Irene Fleis Education Fund, Inc.

News Release

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Local Foundation Announces $8000.00 in Scholarships to be Awarded in 2009.

The Ed and Irene Fleis Education Fund foundation group announced that they will be awarding eight $1000.00 scholarships in 2009. Ted Fleis, President of the foundation, said "So far in 2008, we had a great fund raising year. I am pleased to announce our directors approved the scholarship totals to increase from $5000.00 to $8000.00 in 2009 at our recent directors meeting."

The Fund held their annual dinner-dance-auction in May with more than 270 people attending, including great participation from the Leelanau County and Traverse City area, and raised over $19,000.00. In addition, they have had numerous donations that have continued to help grow the foundation. The foundation operates on almost no overhead, including no salaries.

Ruth Ann Smith, the oldest member of the Ed and Irene Fleis family from Suttons Bay and director, said "We really only have three years under our belt as a charity. We hope to keep the annual fund raising going so we can increase the dollar value and number of scholarships. Our goal is to make a difference in assisting students get a higher education."

It is interesting to note that the scholarships are to help those with the most financial need. Ted Fleis said "over 70% of the scholarship recipients from the foundation have been over 26 years old. Most of the winners are people going back to school rather than just the high school graduates. Applicants can apply year after year."

Next year's annual fundraiser was also set at the directors meeting. The dinner-dance will be held on Saturday, April 18th, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in the Grand Rapids area. The directors are also studying to have a special summer golf outing to be held in Cedar in the summer of 2009 for fun and fund raising.

Over the past three years, the directors have been studying a mentorship program and how it can have the most effect in supporting our local community. They found that both the new student as well as the parents can be overwhelmed of the process in applying for admission and education scholarships. The directors approved studying and establishing an information "hot line" that parents and students can call and talk directly to college graduates that can share his or her experiences and help them sort through the process. It is expected to be in place sometime in 2009. If you are interested in getting involved in the mentorship program or would like to make a tax deductible donation towards the scholarship funds, you can contact Ted Fleis at 1-877-771-0775.