Million Dollar Character Scholarship Program Introduced

From the podium at the Missouri State Capitol in front of a crowd of scouts and legislators, Missouri Valley College President Joe Parisi on Monday announced a Million Dollar Character Scholarship program to reward high-character youth across mid-Missouri.

Parisi said Missouri Valley was dedicating $250,000 a year to the program to establish four-year renewable scholarships designed specifically for outstanding youth who have volunteered with or served in some of the area’s premier youth service agencies.

The first participant in the program was the Great Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts. Missouri Valley introduced its Eagle Scout Scholarship in the fall.

“As president, you are exactly the students we want to invest in,” Parisi said to the Scouts in the Capitol on Scout Day. “You only hear about co-curricular scholarships in academics or athletics, but how often do you hear about scholarships for character, community service, and youth leadership?”

Parisi said legacy of scouts on the campus at Missouri Valley College is legendary. He told the crowd about the longstanding relationship MVC had with H. Roe Bartle, former mayor of Kansas City and longtime scout executive who founded the American Humanics program on the MVC campus. Bartle also served as president of Missouri Valley College.

“I think it is fitting that this announcement takes place on President’s Day, and Scout Day, here at the Capitol,” Parisi said.

Additional youth service agency partnerships in Missouri Valley’s Million Dollar Character Scholarship program will be announced soon.