Cashmere Schools Foundation Scholarship creates opportunities for graduating students 

CASHMERE—Cashmere High School showed its dedication to its students last Wednesday night (Nov. 6) when it held its annual scholarship night. It was a time for seniors to learn more about applying for college and scholarships as their graduation approaches. 

Over 15 scholarships were introduced to the incredible turnout of 70 people in attendance. Each has different requirements that have to be met in order to receive it, but students were provided with resources to start planning their college journey now in order to receive enough help along the way. Seniors were also reminded of the FAFSA and WAFSA that are open to students in need of financial aid.

An emphasis of the night was the Cashmere School’s Foundation Scholarship, which is open to all high school seniors. Applications open on January 1 and end on March 1. The scholarship was founded by Bob Wildfang along with Ron Doane, who together started the scholarship program in 1999. The board of trustees includes Josh Stendera, Alex Garcia, Pat Henning, Tracy Franklin, and Glenn Johnson. All are people who have donated money to support the students in their community, and Garcia was even a recipient of the scholarship.

[The scholarship] helps them financially, to pay for their tuition when they go to college,” Wildfang said. “And every little bit helps.”

Every year the Foundation hosts events to raise money for the scholarship. The board hosts an auction in February to raise money, along with the annual golf fundraiser that takes place in July and has been running for 20 years. They accept donations in order to fulfill their mission of providing post-secondary support to CHS students. About 40 graduates earlier in 2024 were awarded scholarships totaling over $102,000. The Cashmere Schools Foundation is able to assist graduating students with the help of the community and continues to do so every year with unwavering support.

The Cashmere Schools Foundation has also partnered with Cashmere Cares in order to cover all the bases of supporting children and students in the community. Inside the overarching Foundation scholarship are dozens of individual scholarships available to all graduates. Only one application is needed to apply for 51 different scholarships, totaling $98,000. Each has a unique criteria, but it is guaranteed that there is an option for everyone.

“The mission of the Cashmere Schools Foundation is to provide scholarships and post-secondary support to graduates and… to provide quality education for all students.”

Cashmere School District works hard to provide ample opportunities and a quality education to its students. Scholarship night, where students will receive their scholarship money, will take place on May 28, 2025. Visit Cashmere Schools Foundation’s website at www.cashmereschoolsfoundation.org, where the board’s mission and history are displayed. The scholarship is funded by donations, and the link to donate can be found on the website as well. The support of Cashmere's community is a tradition that will only continue to grow the sense of unity in its members.

Jada Wood is an intern for Ward Media and a junior (Class of 2026) at Cashmere High School.