Nearly 90 Central DeWitt students receive scholarships

Eighty-eight graduating seniors received over $79,000 in scholarships Tuesday, May 21 during an award ceremony at Central DeWitt High School. These scholarships are supported by DeWitt Bank & Trust and the Central DeWitt Educational Foundation, funds held by the LincolnWay Community Foundation.

Chas Cahill, a 2011 scholarship recipient, graduated from Drake University Law School and passed the bar exam in 2018. “As a recently licensed attorney, I know clearly what tests and obstacles were put in front of me to get where I am, and many of those would have been tough or near impossible without any financial assistance,” he said.

Today, Cahill is a member of the American Bar Association, Iowa State Bar Association and Polk County Bar Association, and is employed by a West Des Moines law firm. Yet even as a young student, he recognized the scholarship for more than its financial value — he felt that receiving the award symbolized the community’s investment in his future. “This backing from the community definitely gave me more confidence in my abilities and potential for success as I moved on to a new, challenging chapter of my life,” he reflected.

“Central DeWitt Educational Foundation scholarships give students at Central a boost toward their futures and a chance to experience education in a different academic atmosphere,” said Pat Henricksen, executive director of the LincolnWay Community Foundation. Thanks to LincolnWay’s affiliation with the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, donors who make gifts to endowed funds are eligible for the Endow Iowa 25% State Tax Credit.

The education foundation also grants approximately $45,000 annually to teachers for enhancing curriculum. “Gifts to the Central DeWitt Educational Foundation have a lasting impact on our youth, helping them continue to grow, become successful, and reward their communities with that success,” said Henricksen.

“I have benefited tremendously from the work of this fantastic foundation,” Cahill added. “Any community support from this foundation during my time at college was definitely a motivation and a comfort in my ability to go on, make my community proud, and represent that community the best I could.”