STUDENTS: So, you want a scholarship, do you?
Each year the American Advertising Federation of Des Moines awards two scholarships, including the Wesley Day Scholarship and the Terry Stoffer Scholarship. No scholarship is less than $1,000. Candidates must be majoring in advertising or a major that will lead directly to a career in advertising. Criteria used to judge applicants include the applicant’s thinking process, communication skills, scholarship, need and a commitment to Iowa, with the first two criteria carrying more weight by practical default.
The application process is simple and straightforward. All it takes to apply is a resume and a short application assignment to demonstrate how you think. The assignment topics are distributed with the application notice in late fall of each year. Finalists are invited to a face-to-face interview with the Scholarship Committee. The winner of both scholarships are invited to receive their awards at our local ADDY® Awards.
DONORS: Do Something That Matters. Contribute to Scholarships.
From $1 to $100,000 your contribution to scholarships makes a difference. The American Advertising Federation of Des Moines works closely with the Advertising Professionals Scholarship Corp., a non-profit and independent corporation, established to increase peace of mind for major contributors.
Have a few bucks you would like to contribute? Send it to the Advertising Professionals Scholarship Corp., 1441 29th Street, Suite 111, West Des Moines, IA 50266 (or AAF of Des Moines, P.O. Box 133, Des Moines, IA 50301). You can designate your contribution to any of our scholarships, including the Terry Stoffer Scholarship, or to the general scholarship funds.
If you want to underwrite a one-time scholarship or establish a fund that will honor someone in perpetuity, this is the place to do it. The Advertising Professionals Scholarship Corp. keeps scholarship funds out of the AAF of Des Moines bank account and budget and places fiduciary responsibility upon a Board whose sole purpose is the proper care and handling of scholarship funds.
A Little History
A number of years ago the AAF of Des Moines sponsored an event called Gridiron that was promoted as a fundraiser to underwrite scholarships. Gridiron was a good time but rarely profitable, so after a failed attempt at establishing a scholarship foundation to underwrite scholarships, both the Gridiron and AAF scholarships became a thing of the past.
That all changed in October of 1996, when the Board of Wesley Day Advertising sent Dave Sanderson to the club with a proposal. Wesley Day would underwrite a scholarship each year in memory of their founder, Wesley Day, with the agreement that the Wesley Day Scholarship would always be the premier scholarship presented by the club.
In 2001 the club awarded the first Terry Stoffer Scholarship in memory of our long-time friend and leader in the American Advertising Federation of Des Moines, bringing the total awarded for the year to $5,000. With the establishment of the Advertising Professionals Scholarship Corp., the stability and growth of our scholarship program is assured.
