2) Letters of Rec

Request your letter from business or community leaders who know you well.

If you are applying for a local scholarship, and you have a positive relationship with a community leader, then you should ask for a letter of recommendation from them. If your letter is written by someone who is well know, then their view of you will be more likely to influence those reading your letter. In contrast, if your letter is written by someone that no one in the community knows, how much more seriously are they going to take their view of your character. However, I wouldn't sacrifice that for someone who knows you better. If it is a community leader who doesn't know you at all but you think that it would be cool to have a letter from them, then get a letter from a lesser known person who can write a better letter about you. But if there is an influential person who knows you well enough to write you a letter, then by all means ask them to!