The Civil Service Council is having a scholarship fundraiser selling an array of Mum’s flowers until Friday as part of an effort to help civil service employees or their children pay for college.

Selling flowers is a new tactic to raise money for the service council scholarship fund.

Dan Crews, Dounda’s patron services director, came up with the idea of selling the flowers. He said in high school he used to sell mums as a fundraiser method.

Crews said he knew someone who could get the flowers for the scholarship who is stationed in Indiana. The person suggested the flowers as a way to collect money.

“Every little bit of help you can get in scholarship kind of helps take the pain of paying for school because of how expensive it can be,” Crews said. “We thought of selling mums as a way to generate income.”

People can apply or the scholarship once a year, and is how much money goes into the scholarship is dependent on how much is raised. This is the second year the council has sold Mums to raise money, and fall 2016 the scholarship is $350.

Crews said he is surprised more people have been trying to put in orders for mums this time around because the fundraiser is newly implemented.

Last year’s recipient was an employee who was looking to finish off her education at Eastern. Many times employees are working but are also going to school to finish off their degree.

This was the case for Kelly Simmonds. She received the scholarship for this fall and now the fundraiser is started up again for an upcoming semester.

Laura Smith, a secretary at Taylor Hall, said the recipient is invited to a Civil Service Council monthly meeting receive the scholarship. A picture is taken of them with the current Civil Service Council president accepting the award.

Smith said right now is the perfect time of the year to sell and buy the flowers in bloom, and that helps to raise more money throughout the semester.

Once paper work is filled, money is raised and people actually apply for the scholarship, it takes a while for the scholarship to be given to the student.

“The committee has to evaluate and select the winner, and it’s quite the time consuming process,” Crews said. “I certainly don’t want to pat myself on the back I think it’s great that everyone comes and are willing to help.”

Crews said helping those who are pursuing their education is the greater award, not him starting the fundraiser.

The Civil Service Council consists of members of Eastern’s staff who work closely to help other employees be aware of things happening across the state and things going on at Eastern.

Last year the council did it closer to Homecoming and later found out it was too late in the season for mums. They moved the selling up so it would be no competition with local distributors.

T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or tabutler@eiu.edu