Scholarships add goal to race

The Little 500 was created in 1951 as more than just an intramural bike race. It was established in part to raise funds to help working students, IU Student Foundation members and Little 500 riders through scholarships. \nOne million dollars later, it's safe to say that IUSF has done just that. \n"We've become the first student organization in the country to give away one million dollars in scholarships," IUSF assistant director and Little 500 coordinator Alex Ihnen said. "When the Student Foundation was founded in 1951, part of the purpose was to help students to help themselves."\nIUSF awards thirty-four $1,000 scholarships to working students based on academic standing and total hours worked during school. More than $8,000 is awarded annually to IUSF members and $5,800 is awarded to Little 500 riders each year. So far, IUSF scholarship money has been dispersed to help more than 3,900 students. \nThere are seven different scholarships aimed exclusively at Little 500 riders, all catering to a different set of applicants. The Riders Council award is granted to a member of the men's and women's council whereas the Michael N. Erickson Award is given to a rider who has overcome adversity. The Fritz Westenfelder Award and Christopher A. Bowden awards serve to recognize riders with strong leadership roles while the Little 500 Working Rider Scholarship is given to a rider who works at least 10 hours per week. The F. Mckinley Blough Award and Nancy Blough Blackwell Little 500 Memorial Award are $1,000 scholarships given to a male and female rider respectively for overall performance and attitude during the race. \n"Reaching one million dollars is huge," IUSF assistant director and women's race adviser Megan Quigley said. "The race was started to try and get students to help themselves in a way that fostered spirit and tradition, and you have a tangible result in the scholarship money that's been raised." \nThis year, there are also three new memorial scholarships in remembrance and recognition of three IU students' fathers who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. \nKappa Kappa Gamma junior captain Meg Haney said the scholarship money IUSF raises gives riders a sense of pride in what they're accomplishing. \n"You don't go out riding or practicing thinking about the money behind IUSF," Haney said. "But you realize that it's something that IUSF does for all these students, and that makes you feel good." \nAll of the money raised by IUSF comes directly from fund raising programs put on entirely by student members. Ihnen said it's remarkable to see students helping one another in such numbers. \n"Where our money comes from -- every last cent -- are students raising money for other students," he said. "I think that's what's truly remarkable. IUSF has maybe 500 members a year and all the events they put on raise money for other students. \n"It's hard to imagine 500 college students getting together and being that unselfish. All of them understand the work they do does help people, and I think that's pretty cool"