CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars President Cynthia Neary greets the crowd.
Reminder Publishing photo by Marc St. Onge
WESTFIELD — Board President Cynthia Neary said CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars will award a record-breaking $363,500 in scholarships to 137 deserving students at a ceremony on May 27 at Westfield Middle School.
That number exceeds last year’s record-breaking amount of $268,000 by just under $100,000, and is the largest amount awarded in its entire 64-year history.
“Awarding a record-breaking amount of $363,500 this year at our May 27 Awards Night is news that will make Westfield feel proud. We are very, very excited this year for the recipients, their parents and the whole City of Westfield,” Neary said.
Neary said the record is due to the “wonderful and amazing” support from the Westfield community and all of its donors.
One of the reasons for the record-breaking amount this year is due to CSF Westfield’s 90 perpetual endowment scholarships, for which someone has to donate at least $10,000. The principal amount is never touched; only the growth is awarded every year.
Neary said the market and endowment investment were so strong in 2025 that it enabled them to break every record they’ve ever had.
“Throughout the last 20 years, the number of our endowments has increased dramatically as so many wonderful people in the community recognize the value and importance of an enduring scholarship,” Neary said. “Most of our endowments are named in memory of someone in our community. This is a way to keep their memory alive and is part of their legacy.” She said they also have a few endowments, which are funded by community organizations.
While the majority of the scholarship awards this year, a total of $260,000, came from the endowments, another $100,000 came in from annual scholarships and people who donate to the general fund that goes straight into CSF scholarships.
“So we’re appreciative for all of those, and for the annual scholarships for which the money comes in and is awarded in full in the same year. Put those two together, and it’s a remarkable amount of money,” Neary said.
This year, 137 students out of about 170 who began the application process will be awarded scholarships. Dollars for Scholars is national, with chapters all over the United States that fall under Scholarship America. All of the chapters have an online application, and in the case of CSF Westfield, there are additional criteria, including that the student must be a Westfield resident. All students fill out the DFS national application and the documents required for CSF Westfield.
Neary said this year, CSF Westfield was fortunate that all 137 students with completed applications were deserving in terms of academic merit and financial need. The chapter has always looked at financial need, Neary said, adding that some chapters don’t. She said a big reason why some students don’t get a scholarship is if they miss the deadline day, after which the national office shuts down all applications by midnight.
Since 1962, CSF Westfield has awarded just under $5 million to 7,117 Westfield students.
The average scholarship award this year is from $1,000 to $6,000 per student based on their score, which is a 50% combination of academic merit and financial need. “I think that’s one aspect that has attracted our donors. They also value helping students who have financial need,” Neary said.
A committee looks at the applications in a blind selection. Every student is assigned a number, and a different committee member scores a different section of the application. For example, one scores all GPA, another scores financial need, another scores extra-curricular activities, another scores work experience and another one scores the essays. Each student has an ID number until the very end, when all the numbers are calculated, and names are assigned to the final scores.
“This is all done in accordance with the requirements of our national office, completely unbiased, completely by the numbers,” Neary said.
CSF Westfield has had an all-volunteer board since 1962, when it was first founded. Neary said many of the board members, including herself, participate because their children received scholarships from CSF Westfield, and they want to pay it forward.
Neary has served on the board for 22 years. “My three children received scholarships from CSF Westfield,” she said, and she herself received a scholarship from the Southwick chapter when she was a student. “They have been helping my family and my children for more than 50 years. I joined the board to pay it forward. Many of our board members came from the same line of thinking, because their children received scholarships from CSF Westfield.”
CSF Westfield has no office, so the overhead is low. Neary said only 1-2% of the money raised goes to expenses such as postage, and all the rest is for the scholarships and the invested scholarships.
Neary said the students have been notified that they’re receiving a scholarship, or several scholarships, because once a score is assigned to a student, scholarships may be combined to meet the scholarship dollar amount to which the student is entitled. However, she said the students don’t know the amount or the name of the scholarship they are receiving. “Because we are awarding this new record amount, I think we are going to have some very happy students on awards night,” she said.
The students awarded scholarships will attend the awards night on May 27 at 7 p.m. in the Westfield Middle School. “Many of the donors of these scholarships or their family members are on stage to make the presentation personally to the recipient. There is a reception afterwards in which the donors or their representatives can meet the recipients,” Neary said.
“Another thing we do that is very unique; we attach the story of the named scholarship to every certificate, so the student understands this represents someone’s life. We ask the family members to write the story, or someone connected to them, so every student understands the true meaning. We are part of only a handful of chapters in the U.S. that provide that story to the students,” Neary said. “It gives it a lot more meaning when you read the story behind the name on the scholarship. That, I think, is a very special aspect of Westfield CSF.”
Mayor Michael McCabe and state Rep. Kelly Pease will speak at the awards night, and the public is welcome to attend.
“It really is an event that makes you proud to be a Westfield resident,” Neary said. “This is an organization that was established through the interest of Westfield residents, funded by Westfield residents and others who have an interest in Westfield; by the people, for the people. Not every community has this. We are so fortunate that Dollars for Scholars has been here for 64 years, helping millions of students to achieve their dreams.”
More information on CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars is available on its website, csfwestfield.dollarsforscholars.org.
