Heather Curtis
WMAL.com

ARLINGTON — (WMAL) Since 2001, the Arlington County Civic Federation’s 911 Scholarship Fund has helped 75 children of local first responders foot the bill for college, but now the fund needs some help of its own.

Scholarship committee chair Jim Pebley said when fundraisers started collecting money for scholarships right after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they pulled in $110,000 in the first few months, including a $90,000 donation from a local developer.

Now the fund is shy of $60,000, which is the minimum needed to sustain it.

“As we get farther and farther from that terrible day at the Pentagon and in New York City and Somerset County, that people their attention is diverted elsewhere,” Pebley said. Donations started to slow down during the recession as people lost expendable income.

Each year five children whose parents are first responders in the County are each awarded a $1,000 college scholarship. If they remain in good standing, they can renew the scholarship annually. A total of $20,000 a year is needed to keep the fund going.

“If you could see all the letters that we get from the students and from their parents that we then provide to the donors, it really makes you see that they are very appreciative of this scholarship opportunity,” said Wanda Pierce with the Arlington Community Foundation, which administers the scholarship fund.

Pebley is also touched by the letters and added occasionally police officers even stop him in traffic to thank him after seeing his recognizable license plate.

He said if the fund doesn’t have at least $60,000, when it comes time to award the next round of scholarships in June, they will have to decrease the number of scholarships given or discontinue renewals.

“We’ll have to turn back if we can’t raise enough funds each year to keep giving,” Pebley said.

Out of all the community service Pebley has put in with the county over the last 25 years he said his involvement with this scholarship fund has been the most rewarding.

He said he would be philosophical about it if the scholarship fund dried up for good.

“We’ve done the best we can. I would like to keep doing it, and I wish everyone felt the way I do, but everyone’s got lives and kids in soccer and sick moms and dads,” Pebley said.

To donate to the scholarship fund, call Scholarships Committee Chairman Jim Pebley at 703-525-0766, or CLICK HERE for a donation form.

Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: SMSgt. Adrian Cadiz/DoD)