A Small-Town Charity that Makes a Generational Impact
Fall is for cooler weather, pumpkins, Halloween, and scholarships! Yes, scholarships. Each October, the Dollars for Tustin Scholars (“DFTS”) hosts its annual “Under the Tustin Moon” fundraiser, an Italian-themed event bringing supporters together to raise money for high school graduates of the Tustin Unified School District. This is a small, local organization that has been making a big impact, on generations of students, for the last 30 years.
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of presenting $5,000 to the DFTS on behalf of Orange County Trial Lawyers’ Charities. A huge thank you to OCTLC for their generous donation, this will surely make a difference to the young, bright minds that DFTS supports.
A bit of a personal story: for those of you who don’t know, I was a scholarship recipient of Dollars for Tustin Scholars in 2008. The organization – much like a family – believed in me and my dreams, and now in my adult years, I am trying to “pay it forward.” I donated my first scholarship to DFTS in 2023, and a second scholarship in 2024. This “paying it forward” is a direct testament to the effect DFTS has on its recipients – their award is not just a scholarship, it is a lifetime award. I can personally testify to this.
Just like a family, DFTS leadership and supporters work tirelessly not only to raise money for scholarships, but also to individually support each of its recipients, even after they graduate college! This is probably why there are past recipients, such as myself, and parents of past and current recipients, and even siblings of recipients, who are all involved in the organization, and looking to “pay it forward.” This generational impact is truly unique – check out DFTS for yourself!
