SCHOLARSHIP FUND

FEBRUARY 23, 2026

The $3,000 goal for the Alumni Scholarship Fund was reached! Yay!🎉 Thank you to these Cardinal Champions for making that happen: Laura Farris (1974), Diana (Winneberger) Zadra (1974), Paul Feuerborn (1974), Dave Haleck (1974), Patti (Brown) Angelo (1973), and Dan Butler (1973)!🤩♥️   

Also, shout out to the class of 1974 which has contributed the most to the ASF! Proud to call you all classmates!

You might have noticed on the ASF donation page that the goal is now $4,000. Once a goal is reached, BOLD automatically makes a $1,000 goal increase. The good news: we’re only $100 away from that goal! Unless Makenzie Scott stumbles upon the ASF and donates $500k, my fundraising efforts are essential and will continue. But for now, I’m going to pause fundraising (i.e. bugging you about donating). I know you could use the break! There are enough funds to increase this year’s scholarship to $600 for four students and still have money for next year’s scholarships. My hope is to build enough support to sustain at least two $500 scholarships each year for the long term—ten years would be wonderful, and longer would be even better. My immediate task is to think outside the box and get creative about how to reach and inspire more donors to insure longevity of the ASF.  

If you contributed to the ASF, thank you!😍 And if you haven't yet, please consider a $26 donation in support of the LHS class of 2026. And now the fundraising pause begins!☺️

Gratefully♥️,

Leslie (Carlisle) Hamburger
Class of 1974
 


FEBRUARY 15, 2025

Thank you to the following for becoming Cardinal Champions and getting us closer to the goal of $3000:  Ricardo Lemvo (1974), Maggie (Vogel) Rodriguez (1974), Skip Effler (Teacher/Coach), and Scott Beers (1976)!😍 

If this year marks a milestone since your graduation, please consider making a celebratory contribution in honor of your class and in support of the LHS Class of 2026. Alumni often choose to give an amount that reflects their years since graduation — $10, $20, $30, $40, or $50, for example.

Every gift to the Alumni Scholarship Fund truly makes a difference. A donation of $5 or $10, combined with others, adds up quickly and directly supports student scholarships. For instance, 100 alumni giving $5 funds one $500 scholarship, and 100 alumni giving $10 funds two. 

When alumni come together, small contributions create real impact. Just 21 alumni giving $26 in honor of the Class of 2026 would put us at our $3,000 goal. It’s within reach — and your donation could be what gets us there!  Donations to the Alumni Scholarship Fund accepted HERE! If you prefer to send a check, the information for how to do that is here. And please share this email with your classmates/friends and family❤️ 

With gratitude,

Leslie (Carlisle) Hamburger
Class of 1974

 

 

FEBRUARY 8, 2026

Happy Winter Olympics! Happy Super Bowl Sunday! And THANK YOU to the following who recently donated to the Lawndale High Alumni Scholarship Fund:  
Gail (Wingett) Neal (1976); Janet Dennis (1974); Eileen (Connolly) Janes (1974); Patsy (Lytle) Downey (1970); Marilyn (Dolan)(1972) & John Waayers (1970); Cecilia (Gamboa)(1974) & Henry Alvarez (1970); Ken Neumeyer (1974); Mary (Rezzuti) Sutherland (1974); John Fox (1974); and Anonymous who donated enough to cover one scholarship! We are now only $790 from the $3,000 goal I set just a week ago! Thank you so much! You are all Cardinal Champions!

To add a bit more context to the significance of the ASF, the following is information from Evelyn Marquez, the guidance counselor I’ve been working with: 

  • nearly 80% of LHS students are economically disadvantaged.  
  • The median household income for families is $49,345.
  • 100% of students participate in the Free & Reduced Lunch program.
  • The class of 2026 is made up of 392 students. 
  • Graduation Rate is 91.3%; Drop Rate is 0.02%
  • The curriculum includes 15 Advanced Placement (AP) courses and 7 Honors courses.
  • 34% of graduating seniors attend a 4-year university/college and 35% attended a Community College.

The national percentage of graduating seniors attending a university/college is 72%; for California it’s 62%. The financial status of a student’s family is often the barrier for going to college or even community college. Supporting the ASF is a way to help eliminate financial barriers for LHS students. We can make a difference! If you have not yet made a donation, please consider donating today! No donation is too small and EVERY donation makes a difference! You can DONATE HERE.

Gratefully,

Leslie (Carlisle) Hamburger
Class of 1974


All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them. — Earvin "Magic" Johnson

If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life. – Author Unknown

 

 

2025 UPDATE!  

The Alumni Scholarship Fund now has an offiicial home at BOLD.org. Tax deductible donations can be made on the website. BOLD will also host the scholarship application page. Due to the set-up process, the page won’t be ready for students to use to apply for the scholarship by the May deadline; but two $500 LHS Alumni Scholarships will still be presented at Senior Awards Night on May 29th. The scholarship application page will launch in August or September so it will be available for the class of 2026.

 


2024 - 50th REUNION

Celebrating 50 years since graduating from Lawndale High is a big deal! 50 years! It is a true milestone, one that deserves a legacy. In recognition of our graduation from LHS in 1974, we are inaugurating the Alumni Scholarship Fund which will award a college bound LHS Senior with a scholarship! 

The selection of the student is made with the help of the counseling staff at LHS. And for the funding this first year, ASF donations are being accepted on our reunion GoFundMe page.  We are still exploring options for the best way to accept donations and administer the scholarship award.

We hope that alumni from all classes – from the first graduating class in 1962 to the more recent graduates of the 2020s – embrace the concept of paying it forward within our Cardinal family and contribute to the Alumni Scholarship Fund.  We also hope that as other classes plan milestone reunions, whether it’s a 10 year or 60 year, that you participate in awarding a scholarship as part of your reunion celebration and keep this legacy going.