Sixth District Assistance and Loan Fund History

BEGINNING:
In the 1960’s the Sixth District was the first Quota district to initiate a unified district service project. Sixth District formed a fund to give grants and loans to assist students in the speech & hearing field. This project was designed to support Quota’s historical goal of service to deaf and hearing-impaired persons by providing financial assistance to persons studying to serve the deaf population. Sixth District Quotarians can be proud of their leadership’s forward thinking about service to deaf persons - - which for years was the primary focus of Quota’s service. (Service to disadvantaged women and children was added much later.)

Others - - including Quota International - - have patterned programs after ours.

PURPOSE:
A logical extension of Quota’s service to deaf and hearing-impaired persons was to provide assistance to students preparing to serve that population. The Assistance & Loan fund was created to provide financial assistance to students pursuing advanced courses of study in deaf education, speech pathology or audiology, and to students that are deaf or hearing-impaired. Such education can be preparation to teach, or in technology related to the diagnosis, treatment, or assistance to the deaf, with the long-term goal of bettering the opportunities and education for deaf persons.

The fund provides financial assistance to any student seeking an advanced degree, and provides assistance for undergraduate work only to deaf and hearing-impaired students. At first, assistance was provided only to students of Kent State University. In the 70’s, this was expanded to other colleges and universities in Ohio that have accredited programs in speech and hearing. At the present time, there are eleven colleges and universities where students are eligible to receive grants and loans.

This Fund does not compete with, or replace, the funds that local clubs raise for scholarships to high school students entering college, or to assist women seeking retraining or undergraduate degrees.

TERMS OF LOANS/GRANTS:
Loans are granted with NO interest being charged while the student is in school; NO interest is charged while the student repays. This permits the funds to be recycled year-after-year to benefit a continuing stream of students. Since its inception in 1962, the Fund has helped in excess of 600 students: about $400,000 has been loaned with very few defaults, and over $30,000 has been awarded in grants. Assets of the Fund are now about $80,000 in cash & $6,000 in outstanding loans.

In recent years, the maximum loan and grant have been increased in recognition of the increased costs of education since the early days of the Fund.

SOURCE OF FUNDS:
All monies in the Fund have been contributed by clubs of the Sixth District, plus any earnings on invested funds. Clubs are encouraged to support the Fund through their annual budget, and/or by sending contributions as memorial gifts or honorariums.

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