Scholarships & Memorial Awards
Kiwanis Club of Aurora scholarship application information is available at the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley - Scholarship
Memorial Awards and Scholarships
The Bernie Dolan Award was established in honor of our Aurora Club President in 1952 and one of the founders of the Aurora Boys Baseball Program. This award is given in Bernie’s memory to the youth on the Kiwanis–sponsored Boys Baseball team who most exemplifies the characteristics of spirit, hustle, and dedication
The Mike Healy Award is named for a long-time Aurora Kiwanian who was active in the multitude of youth programs sponsored by the Aurora Kiwanis Club. It is awarded to the Pony League player who is recognized for exceptional spirit, hustle, and dedication.
The Kim Schaubel-Groom Award was established in 2015 for member Kim Schaubel-Groom, a graduate of West Aurora High School. Kim was known as a dedicated, hard-working, gifted athlete, respected by players and coaches alike. In 2012, Kim was inducted into the West Aurora High School Hall of Fame. Kim began her softball career playing softball in the Aurora Area Girls Softball League. This award is presented to the youth on the Aurora Area Girls Softball Kiwanis Team who is recognized for exceptional spirit, hustle, and dedication.
Scholarships
The Aurora Kiwanis Club / William J. Downs Scholarship honors one of the youngest and most active Aurora Kiwanians in our club’s history. Mr. Downs was the great grandson of Samuel McCarty, founder of the City of Aurora. He attended East Aurora High School and later attended Worsham’s College of Mortuary Science, becoming the third generation of his family to operate the Downs Funeral Home on Fox Street (now east Downer Place) in Aurora. Mr. Downs, a Marine veteran of WWII, was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. He died in combat on December 6, 1950.
This annual scholarship benefits a student attending a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. The scholarship is in the amount of $2,000.00 per year, for one year. These awards are reserved for graduates of a public or parochial high school whose parent or guardian reside within one of the following cities: Aurora, Big Rock, Montgomery, North Aurora, Oswego or Sugar Grove.
Preference is given to those students who have been or are members of the Kiwanis Builders or Key Clubs.
The Aurora Kiwanis Club / G. William “Bill” Moore Scholarship was originally created in 1992 as the Aurora Kiwanis Club Scholarship for graduates of Waubonsee Community College. In 2012, it was renamed for Bill Moore, an extremely active, longstanding Kiwanis member since 1950. These scholarships award $1,000.00 per year, for two years, and are available to students attending Aurora University to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Eligibility is restricted to students whose parent or guardian resides within one of the following cities: Aurora, Big Rock, Montgomery, North Aurora, Oswego or Sugar Grove.
Preference is given to those students who have been or are members of the Kiwanis Builders or Key Clubs.
The Aurora Kiwanis Club / Dr. Harry Greeley Medical / Healthcare Scholarship was established in 2001 in recognition of Dr. Harry Y. Greeley’s 60th anniversary as an active Kiwanian.
Harry Yerkes Greeley was born in Arenzville, Illinois. He was a graduate of Waterman High School and the University of Illinois Medical School. He came to Aurora in 1942 when he affiliated with Dr. John Dreyer and Dr. E.S. Denney of the Dreyer-Denney Clinic, later renamed Dreyer Medical Clinic. He retired from Dreyer Medical Clinic in 1980.
After “retirement,” he continued to practice medicine as a volunteer physician several months each year for more than a decade in America Samoa; Appalachia; Indian Reservations in Arizona, Kentucky and Nevada; Hispanic communities in New Mexico; Yucatan; and St. Lucia. Dr. Greeley’s wife, Violet, was an accomplished artist and always accompanied her husband on his medical missions.
Scholarships from this fund are available to students pursuing studies within the medical/healthcare field either in the vocational/technical area or at the college level of study.
These awards are in the amount of $2,000.00 for one year and are reserved for graduates of a public or parochial high school whose parent or guardian reside within one of the following cities: Aurora, Big Rock, Montgomery, North Aurora, Oswego or Sugar Grove.
Preference is given to those students who have been or are members of the Kiwanis Builders or Key Clubs.
The Kim Schaubel-Groom Scholarship was established in 2019 by then-president Kim Schaubel-Groom, as a personally funded scholarship. Scholarships from this fund are available to graduating high school seniors who are current, active members of a Key Club sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Aurora, Illinois and who will attend an accredited institution of higher education within the United States on a full-time basis. Recipients may pursue any fields of study and there are no residency requirements. Students receiving a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED), General Education Development (GED) Certificate, or equivalent are not eligible for this scholarship. Initially, these scholarships shall provide One-Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per student for up to one (1) year of study.