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| By Danielle Paine Reminder Assistant Editor EAST LONGMEADOW Knock, knock. It's the seniors again. With every winter's thaw and spring's impending graduations come the annual East Longmeadow Scholar's Door to Door campaign. No, they're not selling candy or magazines. Instead, neighborhoods across town will soon be canvassed by high school seniors looking for donations to their college funds. "They're a part of it," said President of the program, Karla Shea, about the group's fund-raising for scholarships. "They're not just getting the money, they have to do something for it." The East Longmeadow Scholarship Foundation awards about 50 scholarships each year to town residents who are seniors in high school or past recipients who are still in college. In order to receive one of these $500 - $700 scholarships, applicants are interviewed and must also help to fund-raise by approaching homes within their neighborhoods while in small groups and asking for donations. This year the drive will take place between March 31 and April 10. "People are pretty generous when they know what this is about," Shea said. "We basically look at it as almost covering one semester's worth of books for them." On average, students raise about $200 each on the foot-campaign for funds. Other activities the group does to support their annual giving includes running the snack bar at East Longmeadow High School football games and an annual letter campaign to area businesses. This program to help with the rising costs of higher education was first started in 1961 by parents and volunteers. Shea explained that a core group of volunteers has kept it going through the years, including the group's oldest current member, Gordon Bradley, 81. For more information or to donate, contact Karla Shea at KShea55@aol.com. |