Welcome Employees

The Scholarship Committee held its annual Scholarship Breakfast and Awards ceremony on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at Eldorado Country Club.  There were 16 scholarships awarded for the 2009-2010 academic year.  In attendance were scholarship recipients, their parents, members of the scholarship committee, club members, and invited guests.

Neal Hoffman, the club's CFO/Controller, presided over the ceremony.  Mary Panesar and Patrick Mulqueeney, Scholarship Committee Co-Chairman, presented the renewal scholarships while Katie Miller, Assistant Controller, and Robert Gwyn, Scholarship Committee Co-Chairman, presented the new scholarships.  Dr. Jack Borsting was the special guest speaker for the event. 

This year's award recipients included:

Scholarship Award Recipients (Renewals) Presented by Mary Panesar & Patrick Mulqueeney:

Eldorado Country Club Scholarship - Background
2009 marks the tenth year of the Eldorado Country Club Scholarship Fund.  Originally started as a retirement fund for former caddy Freddie Pennie, the fund was converted to a Scholarship Fund upon Freddie's death in 1999.  Robert L. Haynie, Neil Griffin, and a group of Eldorado members established the scholarship fund originally with The San Diego Foundation, and in 2007, the fund was transferred to The Desert Community Foundation, a local, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, which administers 15 scholarship funds for private clubs in the Coachella Valley.

Scholarship Committee - Fund Raising
Through the generous support of Eldorado members the Eldorado Country Club scholarship fund has grown tremendously in the past ten years.  Since the annual scholarship donation letter was mailed to Eldorado members in November 2008, there has been $166k contributed by club members, bringing the total scholarship fund balance to over $1.2M.  Since inception, Eldorado members have contributed nearly $1.8 million, enabling the fund to grant a total of 44 scholarships, totaling $621,000.

The Eldorado Scholarship Committee is made up of 16 club members.  In addition a very successful annual direct mailing each year, there has been a number of events held at the club in which the proceeds from these events are donated to the scholarship fund.  Most notably has been the annual Men's Distinguished Guest Dinner.  This event, to date, has contributed over $70k to the scholarship fund. 

Scholarship Award Criteria
Prospective applicants must be children of employees or employees of Eldorado Country Club.  Students must have a financial need and be admitted to a college/university or vocational/trade school.  Other factors considered are work experience, participation in extra-curricular activities and community service.  Scholarship recipients must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.  The scholarship may be used for tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

Scholarship amounts are awarded up to $10,000 per year based on the financial needs of the student.  The scholarship is renewable each year.  Since the award criteria is reevaluated each year the scholarship amount may be changed in subsequent years based on current information.