ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Gearing up for its annual presentation of scholarships to high-achieving local students, Elk Grove Regional Scholarship Foundation (EGRSF) held a party to thank the sponsors for its Bounty on the Boulevard fundraiser. The reception on April 28 at Boulevard Bistro gave sponsors and foundation members an opportunity to chat and enjoy good food.

The Elk Grove Regional Scholarship Foundation also hosted its Spotlight on Scholarships award ceremony for scholarship recipients on May 2. Look for coverage in the May 10 issue of the Citizen.

Rebecca Davis, an Elk Grove Regional Scholarship Foundation vice-president, said the foundation offered 160 scholarships this year, ranging in amount from $1,000 to $15,000.

Davis said the foundation’s goal is to encourage local youth to seek higher education without taking on debt. Scholarships are available for college as well as trade and technical schools.

Many scholarships also specify an area of study, such as the Walt Davis Automotive Scholarship, which gives $2,000 to a student entering an automotive technician training program at Cosumnes River College (CRC).

“If you go to CRC and you’ve got to buy tools and things, that money will pay for that. It’s everything from books to tuition to food to computers to whatever a student may need,” Davis told the Citizen.

Davis said she appreciated the support of the foundation’s sponsors and donors, adding that she went to college on scholarships.

“That was my goal is to give back, and make sure that students can progress,” Davis said.

Coming up on June 2 is the foundation’s major fundraising event, Bounty on the Boulevard. The event at District56 features local wineries and breweries and a four-course meal made with local ingredients. The sponsor party at Boulevard Bistro honored the sponsors who make Bounty on the Boulevard possible.

Bounty on the Boulevard sponsors are Bank of Stockton, city of Elk Grove, Jackson Properties, K & A Spease Foundation, Kim Smith, Point Quest Education, Raley’s Supermarkets, Realty Roundup, Republic Services, Sheldon Wine Shop, Sky River Casino and Wells Fargo.

The money raised from Bounty on the Boulevard ensures that all funds Elk Grove Regional Scholarship Foundation receives from donors can go to scholarships, said Natasha Moore, a foundation board member.

“I think (Bounty on the Boulevard) is just a great opportunity for us to all come together in support of one cause that we’re all excited about and proud of, and it gives us the chance to celebrate,” Moore said.

She added that the scholarships are meant to help students see “that college is an option.”

“What students tell us is that that support and that scholarship reminds them that the community cares and that the community is behind them,” Moore said.

For more about the Foundation and Bounty on the Boulevard or to donate, visit elkgroversf.org. Tickets for Bounty on the Boulevard cost $150.