West Valley Dollars for Scholars was initiated in 1994 by West Valley High School principal Jerry Craig and a group of school patrons. Mr. Craig saw an imbalance between the few students who received 2 or 3 local scholarships being awarded annually and the greater number of students who received none but were also so deserving of being rewarded . Scholarship America (parent company of Dollars for Scholars) offered the structure and goals Mr. Craig was seeking. The original board members were Keene Brewer, Len Rickey, Lou Arend, Marla Borton and Erin Shirey. West Valley Dollars for Scholars presented its first scholarship awards with the class of 1995.
The main fundraising events that year were the Steak and Salmon Dinner and the first annual golf tournament. With money raised and the current local scholarships joining in, West Valley Dollars for Scholars gave 26 scholarships for a total of $13,000. The G. E. Clasen Memorial Scholarship that had been given in previous years (and continues today) provided inspiration to foster our goal of making more local scholarships. The generosity of our community has responded tremendously. Each year since, our fundraising has gained momentum in both general fundraising and administering of named scholarships. As of June 2019 West Valley Dollars for Scholars has awarded over one million dollars in awards!
