Seymour-Oxford Rotary Club Fund

Seymour-Oxford Rotarian Joyce Barcley truly embraced the Rotary International Motto "Service Above Self" in 2010 when she created and seeded the Seymour-Oxford Rotary Club Fund at the Valley Community Foundation. Ms. Barcley directed the proceeds of a grant made in her honor for receiving the Valley Chamber's 2009 Gold Seal Award to kick off the new Fund.

"I wanted to use this money to establish this Scholarship Fund and to ensure that it would continue in perpetuity," said Ms. Barcley. "We have been providing scholarships for decades through our Rotary Club - but only through annual fundraising, so everything that came in has gone right back out. This Fund will provide our members and others in the community an opportunity to donate whatever they wish - $20 - $100 - $5,000 - which will establish a permanent Fund to support deserving Seymour and Oxford residents pursuing higher education."

Every year, a Scholarship Committee oversees the Rotary Club's scholarship competition. They advertise the program, and contact the local high schools. "Service Above Self" is the required topic for a 200-word essay, in which applicants must describe their interpretation of that motto, as well as their personal experiences in community service. The committee then reviews the submissions and selects the winner(s). It is the Seymour-Oxford Rotary Club's goal to grow the endowment, which will establish a stable and dependable source for increasing the size and number of scholarships in coming years.

Ms. Barcley and her fellow Rotarians chose to establish this Fund with VCF for a number of reasons. "There is an excellent opportunity for fund growth with VCF," said Ms. Barcley. "Through its association with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, VCF has produced far superior investment results than we could ever do alone. VCF also allows us to specify the Fund's use."

Ms. Barcley was also pleased with VCF's overall work throughout the Valley Community: "It truly has brought this community closer together, and provided additional vehicles for giving throughout the Valley."

To make a tax-deductible contribution to this fund, please complete the secure, online credit card form below: