RVC Foundation Scholarships

Complete the Financial Aid Process

Everyone who is eligible to file should have submitted the New FAFSA Form by now.

Check your Financial Aid page under MyRVC > Students > Self Service and check that you have all requested verification paperwork submitted.

NOTE: International students, students under 18, and students who are not eligible to file, are an exception and we recognize you are unable to receive federal funding. Be sure to provide an explanation as to why you cannot file when you write your Financial Statement on the application.

Apply for RVC Foundation Scholarships

1. Add all deadlines listed in section 1, Dates and Deadlines, into your calendar so you don’t miss any important dates.
2. Watch for emails from [email protected] in your student email.
3. Activate your voicemail on your phone. We will leave you a message if we have any questions or critical information regarding your application.
4. Write good Personal, Educational, and Financial statements. Please be willing to share your story. Your personal statements are what brings your application to life for our application reviewers.
   1. Be specific
      • Poor example: My education goal is to get my degree (certificate) and start my career.
      • Good example: My education goal is to get my CNC Machining Certificate from RVC along with my NIMS certificates and work for one of the major manufacturing companies in the Rockford area.
   2. Be personal:
      • Poor example: Receiving an RVC Foundation Scholarship would mean a lot to me because I have a lot of bills to pay and I want to buy a new car.
      • Good example: I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to teach. My dad taught high school history, and my mom teaches 4th grade, so I grew up with lesson plans and bulletin boards, class projects and papers to grade, and can’t wait until I can do the same thing. With my parents’ example to follow, I know I can become the teacher I want to be, but receiving a scholarship would help make my goals a reality.
   3. Provide details:
      • Poor example: The FAFSA says my parents make too much money so I won’t get a Pell Grant, but I really need help to pay for school.
      • Good example: Two years ago, my father was a VP at Good Company, but they were bought out. He still has a job, but had to take a 30% pay cut. My mom is only working part-time now due to health reasons. Neither parent can afford to help me pay for school. I have filed an appeal to adjust my parent’s income, but I don’t know if it will be approved. I have some savings from working part-time the last two years, enough to pay for two classes a semester, but I’d really like to be able to go full-time so I can graduate quicker and get a decent job while I work on my bachelor’s degree. Thank you for considering my application.
5. Complete your supplemental tasks as soon as possible. If a document is to be uploaded, please ensure that you have the right one. You will not receive your Final Offer and release of funds until everything is done.
6. Write your thank you letter to the donor by name. Check the donor link on the left-hand side of the supplemental questions tab for your donor's information. 
7. Include the name of the scholarship you received within the letter. It's right above the donor link. See Section 4 for further instructions and examples.
8. RVC Foundation Scholarships cover your direct costs only and are paid to the College to cover tuition, books, fees, and mandatory supplies. Any funds not used will be returned to the Foundation to be awarded again next year.

Anytime you have any questions regarding the scholarship process, please reach out to the RVC Foundation at (815) 921-4500 or [email protected]. We’re here to help!

Understanding a Scholarship Thank You Letter

A properly written thank you letter to your donor(s) is a mandatory requirement of receiving a scholarship. Thank you letters will be due September 18, 2024, giving you one week after you receive your preliminary award notice to write it. Please take advantage of the Writing Center and your Advisor to ask for help in writing your letter.  

Four things to keep in mind when you’re writing your thank you letter:

1. Scholarships only cover your direct costs such as tuition, fees, books and mandatory supplies. They won’t help with your indirect costs like your car payment, cell phone bill, or rent. That is what your Federal Financial Aid is for.

2. The scholarship provider is a real, live, person. Even if your provider is the RVC Foundation Board, the President and Members of the Board volunteered their time to raise funds so YOU could receive a scholarship to help YOU get your education.

3. If your scholarship contains the word “Memorial”, the scholarship is in memory of someone the donor loved, or thought enough of to provide a scholarship in their name.

4. Include the name of the scholarship in your letter.

Writing Your Thank You Letter

A proper thank you letter should include the date written, and a more formal way of addressing your letter as you are writing to someone you do not know. There are two addressee samples below – one if the scholarship provider is an organization, and one if the scholarship provider is an individual. Since your letter does not have to be mailed, you do not need to include the mailing address.

How to address a letter to an organization:

September 15, 2024 [Date]

Mr. Robert Stenstrom, President [Addressee – organization representative]
RVC Foundation Board of Directors [Organization]

Dear Mr. Stenstrom and Members of the Board [Salutation]

How to address a letter to an individual:

September 15, 2024 [Date]

Mr. and Mrs. Dudley D. Donor [Addressee – look at the donor bio for your scholarship and address your letter the same way. It will be either formal as shown, or casual, like Dudley and Polly Donor]

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Donor, [Salutation – match the addressee style. Casual would be Dear Dudley and Polly,]

Your letter should include:

• Opening thank you paragraph. Acknowledge the scholarship you received.
  • Thank you so much for awarding me the RVC Foundation Endowment Scholarship. I am so very grateful to receive these funds.
• Background paragraph. Tell the scholarship provider a little about what led you to your major, or what led you to Rock Valley College. Why are you studying your subject?
  • I can remember when I was little, my babysitter brought over a book about stars. She’d take me outside so we could look at the stars and try to identify them. I hated it when a cloud came by and covered up the stars. That got me thinking, where do clouds come from? Why are some white and others almost black? How do they move? It was then that my love of weather and astronomy was formed.
• Current status paragraph. Where are you in your educational journey? What do you like best about attending RVC? Will you move on to another school after graduation, or do you plan to work first? What is your ultimate purpose in going to school?
  • So, that’s why I’m at Rock Valley College studying to get my AS degree. I want to study the weather, and I knew I’d need an excellent background in science and math. I’m just finishing my first year here, and absolutely love it! After Rock Valley, I want to go to NIU to get my Bachelor of Science in Meteorology.
• Closing paragraph. Thank the scholarship provider again. You can never thank someone too many times.
  • Thank you again for the privilege of receiving the RVC Foundation Endowment Scholarship. It means a great deal to me and my family. Thanks to this scholarship, maybe someday you’ll see me on the news as your weather forecaster!
• Closing line – you can use the standard “Sincerely”, or let the donor know how you really feel.
  • Sincerely, (Other options could include: With deepest gratitude or From a grateful student or With heartfelt thanks)
• Signature – Always use your first and last name. Do not provide your student ID or address or other contact information. Just your name.
  • Rayne Weatherman

Anytime you have any questions regarding the scholarship process, please reach out to the RVC Foundation at (815) 921-4500 or [email protected]. We’re here to help!