In 1999 when aldermen received a pay increase, Helen Shiller began donating a portion of her salary to the Uptown/Kuumba Lynx Scholarship Fund.  The fund provides supplemental scholarships to college freshman who are Uptown residents and/or who participated for at least a full year in Kuumba Lynx during their senior year of high school. It also provides emergency loans to students who need a bridge loan and might otherwise be forced to interrupt their education.

Two of this year's recipients were Caryn and Morgan.

Morgan

"The Kuumba Lynx scholarship provided me with a great financial foundation to build from as I entered my freshmen year at the University of Notre Dame. Many people don't realize the necessities of college students outside of money that goes directly to the school and towards tuition. This scholarship gave me an added sense of comfort which was extremely helpful in coping with the pressures that already come with a new experience like beginning the first semester of college."

— Morgan, Notre Dame Freshman

 

— Caryn, Truman College Freshman