On Saturday, March 22, Newtown Scholarship Association (NSA) and The Newtown Memorial Fund (NMF) will co-host The Betty Lou Osborne Memorial Scholarship Ball at The Waterview in Monroe. The evening’s theme is Hope Springs Eternal.

Net proceeds from the ball will help NSA and NMF advance their shared mission to provide need-based college scholarships to young people from Newtown.

The ball is named in memory of Betty Lou Osborne, who served on NSA’s board for almost 40 years. A pillar of the community, Ms Osborne was steadfast in her belief that all high school graduates from Newtown deserve the chance to attend college, regardless of their financial circumstances.

Since its founding in 1937, the NSA has awarded nearly $4 million in need-based scholarships and continuing aid to more than 1,500 high-school graduates from Newtown. The scholarships are funded through the generous donations of local individuals and businesses.

The NMF was established in 2013 with a three-fold mission: restoring, remembering, and renewing. To that end, NMF created the Newtown Memorial Fund Scholarship, administered by NSA.

Last year four students received a total of $70,000. These scholarships will continue to be funded throughout each student’s undergraduate career.

The ball is the first joint fundraising venture by the two all-volunteer organizations.

The evening’s events will include dinner, dancing to the music of Locomotion, and live and silent auctions. Auction items include an African safari, a week in Maine, a weekend in Vermont, and a night out in New York City, complete with theater, dinner, and a car and driver to take the winner from and back to their home.

Dress is black-tie optional (in honor of Betty Lou Osborne, guests should feel free to wear their favorite sneakers).

Individual tickets for $150 are available at newtownscholarship.org. The Waterview is just over the town line, at 215 Roosevelt Drive (Route 34) in Monroe.

Sponsorship options include Redwood ($5,000, which includes ten tickets and a full-page ad in the program); Mighty Oak ($2,500: eight tickets, half-page ad); Beech ($1,500: six tickets, quarter-page ad); and Maple ($500: two tickets, quarter-page ad). All sponsors will receive special recognition in the program and on the NSA website.

For questions about sponsorships or advertising in the program, call Ted Kohler at 203-304-9491.