by Irene Luck

When children are young, adults always ask them what they want to be when they grow up. A lofty answer is often given, whether that be doctor, fireman, teacher, scientist, or astronaut. However, the question of how they plan to pay for their post-secondary education is rarely asked.

Even when the children get older and adults still inquire about their plans after high school, do those asking consider how the students will pay for their education?  Or have their goals changed because they can’t afford to go on to post-secondary training?

Lisa Johnson knows firsthand the importance scholarships play in a young person’s ability to continue their education. In 2018, she formed Dreams4U.org, a local program designed to provide scholarship opportunities for students.  The name comes from “Dreams Require Energy from you the student And Money from donors for Scholarships 4 U.”

Johnson had served on scholarship committees at her college alma mater, and she decided that one way to give back to her community would be to establish a scholarship foundation to help others.  Dreams4U is a 501(c)3 organization that hosts fundraisers and accepts donations throughout the year from businesses and individuals. However, Johnson said the last 18 months have been challenging, as COVID-19 shut down most opportunities to host gatherings.

Dreams4U provides scholarships to students who live in the Lake Anna vicinity, essentially the counties of Louisa, Orange, and Spotsylvania. These funds are available not only to recent high school graduates, but to older adults as well. One of the key requirements is that the applicant is seeking advancement in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), including health care. The other is that the student must attend an accredited Virginia institution, whether that is a four-year college, community college, or training school.

“One of my main reasons for starting this program is to help those students who want to go on and get advanced training but don’t have the necessary funding or family assistance,” Johnson said.  “When you move outside the lake community, there are many students who would benefit from the financial help to further their education.”

Johnson also believes those who are homeschooled often don’t have the same opportunities for scholarships as those attending a public or private high school, since many scholarship organizations use the schools to select their recipients. Dreams4U, instead, seeks out homeschool students as well as those attending traditional schools.

Another difference with Dreams4U is that the applicant doesn’t have to be a recent high school graduate. “We have had single moms who want to improve their lives receive a scholarship, as well as adults who wanted to go back to college after working awhile to start or finish a degree,” Johnson said.

The $500 and $1,000 scholarships offer the option for students to receive assistance for up to four years; they just have to reapply each year. “We want to make sure they are achieving success, meeting the requirements, and working towards a goal,” Johnson explained.

This ability to reapply for funds each year sets the Dreams4U program apart from many others. Scholarships are often awarded for just one year, so for the remainder of a student’s college years, he or she is on their own.

In Dreams4U’s initial year, 2019, the program awarded six $1,000 scholarships. In 2020, the program awarded 10 scholarships, six to the 2019 recipients and four new ones. In 2021, they awarded 11 scholarships – seven from previous years and four new ones.

“We had a few who had finished their two-year programs from 2019 and didn’t come back, and we also had to be a little tight on what we could award because the pandemic really impacted our ability to raise funds,” Johnson said.

In previous years, Johnson hosted some unique fundraisers to raise money, including a bourbon tasting at Callie Opie’s Orchard Restaurant, an ice cream tasting, live bands, various tournaments, silent auctions, and themed dinners. She also accepts private direct donations through the program’s website at www.dreams4u.org. Since the program is run by volunteers, all proceeds and donations go directly to the scholarships.

While Johnson primarily operates the program, four to six others serve on the scholarship selection committee with her.

Also, volunteers are always needed to help with fundraising, publicity, and other avenues of service. Johnson has been primarily responsible for all the planning of the fundraisers and usually has some friends help on the day of the events. However, additional volunteers would be invaluable to the program.

“When we get back to having gatherings, I would love to be able to stage several different events,” she said. “I try to come up with unique ideas that I haven’t seen done before, or at least not done here before. And it is always interesting to see others copy my ideas for their events afterwards.”

“My sole purpose is to benefit the students and give them an opportunity to continue with their studies, an opportunity they might not have without this funding,” she continued. “While a $1,000 a year might seem insignificant in terms of a year’s tuition, if it pays for books or other necessities, that’s one less bill the student has to worry about.”

Johnson also likes the fact that she is keeping the program in the community. A lot of Dream4U’s funding comes from within the Lake Anna community. By giving scholarships to students in this area, hopefully they will come back and contribute to the health of the Lake Anna area by bringing their knowledge with them.

Also, Dreams4U doesn’t just hand out money. Johonson has developed an extensive scholarship application, and the students are evaluated using 15 factors. “It’s not just that you can look good on paper; you need to convince the scholarship committee that you truly want the scholarship,” she said.

One of Johnson’s goals is to be able to award larger amounts to the current number of students, include more students as recipients, or a combination of both. However, she currently has to “go with the flow” because of the pandemic.

“All these restrictions shut down our plans for the spring and fall fundraisers, and we have had to adjust our expectations and scholarship amounts accordingly,” Johnson explained. “We know some students won’t be able to continue their educations without this help, and we just want to do everything we can and be that avenue that allows them to continue with their education.”

Johnson said that when she and her family moved to the community, they were excited to start giving back, and this was the best way they could think of doing just that.

Applications for 2022 scholarships are on their website at www.dreams4u.org, and more information is also available on their Facebook page by searching “Dreams4U.org.” Donors can make direct contributions to the program at a variety of levels through their website. Also, Dreams4U can also be supported by selecting them as your recipient on Amazon Smile or through the Kohl’s give card. More information about these programs can also be found on the Dreams4U website.

Johnson encourages anyone wishing to continue their education, regardless of age, to consider applying for a scholarship. Also, anyone interested in volunteering with her can contact her at lisa.johnson@dreams4u.org.