Bonnie Rietz of The Hormel Foundation awarded Cycles for Success scholarships as part of Austin High’s 2013 Scholarship Ceremony at Austin High School’s Christgau Hall May 23.

The Hormel Foundation is dedicated to helping Austin students attend Riverland Community College. More than $540,000 in “Cycles for Success” scholarships have been awarded in the past three years to graduates of Austin High School and Pacelli Catholic Schools. Scholarship amounts ranged from $1,000 to 6,000, based on the student’s financial need.

“The Cycles for Success scholarship program is changing lives for our students and their families,” said Danielle Heiny, program director. “Many students would never have had an opportunity to attend college without the scholarship. The students are so grateful for the investment in their future.”

This year, 35 of the 61 applicants received scholarships, bringing the total number of scholarships funded to 169 students since 2010 when the program was created. Students who attend four years and graduate from Austin and Pacelli High Schools are eligible to use the scholarships funded for postsecondary education at Riverland Community College. The program’s goals are designed to empower students with financial barriers to overcome so they will enroll at Riverland, complete their college education, and remain in the community as skilled members of the workforce. Priority is given to the middle 50 percent of their class ranking because they will not have other resources available to them.

“Our students are our future and it is so exciting to see the difference the scholarships can make in their lives,” said Bonnie Rietz, Riverland Community College Foundation past president. “We are blessed as a community to have people who care about our youth and want them to have an excellent education.”