The Rotary Club of the Verde Valley is proud to announce the 2026 Verde Valley Scholarship awards. It awards academic and vocational scholarships from the Rotary Club and Fleishman Foundation. Its scholarship committee takes pride in interviewing each applicant in person. This year, they met wonderful students with incredible work ethics and a remarkable passion for their next steps. It was a tough decision for the committee, as they were all highly qualified.
The Rotary Club and Fleishman Foundation scholarships are awarded directly to the student each semester as long as the requirements are met, up to four years. The vocational scholarship is awarded annually for up to two years. The value of these scholarships is $6,000 over four years.
The Fleishman Foundation was set up by Dr. Jay Fleishman [June 14, 1941 — July 19, 2010] to honor his parents and provide scholarships to students in the Verde Valley. He was a pathologist who worked in Cottonwood for 20 years and he was involved in many community service activities ranging from the Cottonwood Library to Yavapai College. The Rotary has been gifting academic scholarships for over 30 years and our club is proud to assist the Fleishman Foundation with honoring students with their scholarships as well.
All the scholarships require students to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 during their studies at a higher learning institution. As long as students maintain this GPA and send our club proof of fulltime enrollment from a college or university, along with a brief essay updating the club on their progress, these scholarships are valid for four years, allowing students ample time to complete their college education.
Students from Mingus Union and Camp Verde high schools and American Heritage Academy-Cottonwood showcase the heart of Rotary: Being of service to our community, continuing their learning and continually demonstrating leadership.
“Congratulations to all scholarship recipients and we look forward to your continued successes,” Rotary stated in a press release.
The Rotary Club of the Verde Valley started in Jerome in 1923, and has been supporting its communities for over 100 years. The club welcomes new members who would like to be involved in the community.
Residents are welcome to reach out to any members or current President Dino Viotti at ndviotti@gmail.com for membership information.
Visit a club meeting anytime, at Calavera Restaurant at 747 S. Main St. in Cottonwood on the first, second and third Thursday of each month at noon. Check the website, rotarycluboftheverdevalley.org, for updated events and speaker information.
2026 Scholarship Recipients
- Kinzlee Brady, Camp Verde High School: Fleishman Academic
- Coco Grenough, Mingus Union High School: Fleishman Academic
- Ambar Martinez, MUHS: Rotary Academic
- Rory Murphy, MUHS: Fleishman Academic
- Zachary Myers, MUHS: Rotary Academic
- Ani Novak, MUHS: Fleishman Academic
- Hallie Ough, MUHS: Rotary Academic
- Kate Poole, MUHS: Fleishman Academic
- Kenlee Shanks, CVHS: Rotary Academic
- Leslie Torayno, CVHS: Fleishman Academic
- Naomy Valdez Martinez, American Heritage Academy: Fleishman Vocational
- Coco Zuniga, MUHS: Fleishman Academic
