PEORIA, Ill. — The Peoria Sister City Commission said Wednesday night it wants to make it possible for an aspiring scholar to attend Bradley University.
The commission said it was working towards creating what it called the “Sister City Scholarship.”
The scholarship would be awarded to a student from one of Peoria’s four sister cities: Clonmel, Ireland, Friedrichshafen, Germany, Benxi, China, or Aytou, Lebanon.
The cost of a year’s tuition at Bradley for an undergraduate as of the 2019-2020 school year was $34,200.
It was calculated the commission as of Wednesday had raised about $19,600, all of which has come from commissioners’ personal pockets.
“We need to make a public appeal,” said Commissioner John Day.
“Hopefully, there’s an angel out there who might have an interest in the Sister City Commission, because here’s an opportunity for us to get a young person a quality education at Bradley.”
The commission also brought up putting together a fundraiser, though few details were discussed.
Day explained why he views the scholarship as an important issue.
“First, it’s important for a young person to get a college degree so they can be successful in their life.
“But also to help draw people together. The more we can know about each other and realize we all have families, jobs, and want to live in peace, the better the chance we will all live in peace.”
The 2019-2020 fall semester saw two sister city students attending Bradley.
