James Ayre Memorial Scholarship Fund #00206
To provide an annual scholarship to a Midland County resident who should demonstrate financial need and be pursuing a degree in business or real estate from one of the following colleges: Delta College, Northwood University, Central Michigan University or Western Michigan University. The recipient need not have been an above average or excellent student, but should show college potential as determined by school counselors. Available to students pursuing either undergraduate or graduate degrees.
From the fundholder:
The main thing that we did not want is to have a scholarship that was only for the cream of the crop student. We wanted a scholarship for the average student. The recipient doesn’t have to be an above average student, but it has to be a student in need. It was set-up to go to Delta, Central, Western, or Northwood, which were all schools that our children or we had been involved with. I had scholarships through college and it was a big help with divorced parents, even though both parents helped. I had jobs in school, as did Jim. I know that I had two scholarships most of the time — a State Board one and the Joyce Rolf scholarship. Joyce was a teacher that had been killed in a car wreck and her parents started the scholarship.” “I think it’s more what you’ve received. I had scholarships. Neither one of us had any money, nor neither family had any money. So you worked for it. I can remember as a teenager I took babysitting jobs, plus worked retail. I bought all of my clothes except winter coats and stuff like that. My mother would help me with those. Jim worked for what he had too. You look at what was given to you and you want to give to somebody else that needs it.