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DETROIT LAKES — When Wayne Benson and Tom Frank joined other longtime community members and educators to establish Dollars for Scholars in Detroit Lakes in 1984, the first scholarships were awarded to graduating seniors at Detroit Lakes High School just two years later.
At that first ceremony in 1986, just over $15,000 was distributed across 32 scholarships. On Monday, May 5, Benson and Frank sat in the bleachers among families and friends of the class of 2025 while scholarship recipients were seated in rows on the gym floor. During the ceremony, Detroit Lakes Dollars for Scholars President Tom Seaworth shared how the program has grown over the decades.
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“Tom and Wayne — I wonder if, back in 1986 when you handed out $15,150 in scholarships, you ever dreamed that almost 40 years later, it’s over $350,000,” Seaworth said.
Dollars for Scholars , a nonprofit affiliated with Scholarship America , supports local high school graduates by raising scholarship funds and assisting students in their post-secondary education. This year, thanks to 118 sponsors, 197 scholarships totaling more than $350,000 were awarded to 110 recipients during the annual ceremony. Sponsors included local businesses, organizations, families and individuals — many contributed in memory of loved ones.
Students applied for the scholarships through a process that opened in February, which included one required essay, one optional essay and other academic information. Applicants are instructed not to include their names to maintain anonymity during the selection process.
“Thank you to all the parents for all the work you’ve done with your students,” Seaworth said. “We’re proud to be a part of tonight’s recognition of the hard work of your students, but also the hard work of our teaching staff.”
Among the dozens of scholarships awarded was the Laker Ripple Award scholarship, which went to Nicholas Buboltz. This year’s Laker Ripple Award honorees were Lakeshirts founders Mark Fritz and Mike Hutchinson, 1982 graduates of Detroit Lakes High School.
“Their generosity has touched our schools, our students and our entire region,” Superintendent Mark Jenson said. “Whether it’s funding classroom equipment, creating internship opportunities or simply modeling what it means to lead with purpose, Mark and Mike embody what it means to be a Laker — lifting others, giving back and creating ripples of impact that stretch far beyond what can be measured.”
Although Fritz and Hutchinson are currently out of the country, Mike Sidders of Lakeshirts accepted the award and presented the Lakeshirts scholarship and Laker Ripple Award scholarship on their behalf. Sidders spoke of the company’s beginnings in the basement of Fritz’s parents’ home on East Shore Drive.
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“They are two proud DLHS grads who never forgot where they came from,” he said. “Mark and Mike built Lakeshirts not only as a business, but as a way to invest in people, creativity, and, most importantly, in community.”
Jadyn Wimmer and Tatum Rader each received a scholarship through the Robert and June Paulson fund.
A Detroit Lakes native and graduate of the high school, Robert “Bob” Paulson “devoted his life to teaching in rural high schools” after putting himself through college at Bowling Green University in Ohio.
“Although he himself enjoyed all the advantages of living in town, in his words, ‘Not a single rural kid from our school could afford to go to college,’” the Detroit Lakes Dollars for Scholars booklet states.
Bob and June Paulson died within three months of each other in 2004. The couple ran an antique shop together, which helped support their longtime goal of creating a substantial scholarship fund for a local graduating senior.
“Years from now, due to the kindness and generosity of Robert and June Paulson, Detroit Lakes High School graduates will have Bob’s long-standing dream to thank for their incredible gift,” the booklet states.
For more information on Detroit Lakes Dollars for Scholars, visit their website at detroitlakes.dollarsforscholars.org.
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