Fort Yuma Rotary scholarship deadline nears for local seniors

Yuma seniors have one more shot at local scholarship money before Saturday, April 25, a deadline that could help cover the first year of college or trade school and cut the need for loans. Fort Yuma Rotary Club is urging graduating seniors to submit applications now for its annual award, which the club says is meant to help students keep moving toward higher education.

Brendon Evans, the club’s scholarship chair, said Fort Yuma Rotary wants at least one recipient from every high school in town and hopes to include charter school and home-school students as well. That broad reach matters in a county where the club also keeps youth involved through two local high school Interact clubs and spends the year raising funds that go back into scholarships, literacy programs and food assistance.

The money has already made a difference. In June 2025, Fort Yuma Rotary said it awarded $7,000 in scholarships to fourteen graduates from area high schools. Across Yuma, scholarships are a bigger pipeline than many families realize: the Yuma Union High School District says awards can be based on merit, community service, financial need and other factors, the Arizona Community Foundation offers more than 100 private scholarship opportunities through one application system, and Helios Ready Now Yuma Scholars can provide up to $15,000 a year, renewable for up to three more years if students remain in good standing.

Seniors who are still assembling paperwork should move now. The common Yuma-area packet used for many scholarships calls for a title page, a typed application form, a resume, a personal essay, three letters of recommendation and a current transcript, with letters requested at least two weeks before the due date and completed packets turned in by noon. Fort Yuma Rotary says it works year-round to raise funds for college scholarships, elementary literacy programs and food assistance, keeps two local high school Interact clubs active and meets Thursdays at noon at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W Desert Hills Dr. The club says it typically gives away $25,000 to $30,000 a year in community donations, and fundraisers such as Mardi Gras on Main, Penitentiary Pint Fest and Pars Under the Stars help keep that scholarship money moving back into Yuma.