On Jan. 5, the not-for-profit scholarship fundraising group 209 Together announced its board had unanimously voted on officers to serve within the organization.
Ken Snyder was elected president, Michelle Cooper vice president, Sarah Gasse treasurer, Connie Ostler Brown secretary, and April Baker and Kevin Leonard board members.
209 Together supports Proviso Township High School District 209 graduates by providing scholarships to students.
The organization is a 501(c)3 non-profit started in 2015. According to 209 Together’s new website at 209together.com, the group’s initial goal upon formation was to raise $6,000 annually but that amount “has tripled in recent years to provide increased opportunity to many more students.”
209 Together provides two categories of scholarships for students who attend any of the three D209 high schools: Overcoming Adversity and Persistence Pays.
Overcoming Adversity is a scholarship awarded to students with at least a 2.0 GPA “who have demonstrated academic improvement over their time in high school.”
Persistence Pays is for students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher “who have demonstrated consistent academic excellence throughout their high school career.”
Proviso East High School, located in Maywood, was founded in 1910 and serves the villages of Forest Park, Broadview, Maywood and Melrose Park.
Proviso West in Hillside was founded in 1958 and serves students from Bellwood, Berkeley, Broadview, Hillside, Northlake, Stone Park and Westchester.
The Proviso Math and Science Academy (PMSA) is located in Forest Park and is a selective enrollment academy, where students from all of the 10 Proviso District 209 communities can attend if accepted. There are currently PMSA campuses at Proviso East and West as well.
Visit 209together.com for more information.
