By DEBORAH A. MILES
PEF has awarded $700,000 to top-notch college-bound students during the last 20 years through the Joseph Scacalossi Scholarship program.
It is just one of many union-based scholarships that can help ease the skyrocketing costs of college for your son or daughter.
The scholarship was named for Scacalossi because he was a PEF council leader at the state Department of Labor in New York City who fought for his members and helped organize PEF in its early years.
In his memory, PEF annually awards $1,000 a year for four years to 10 students. You must be the child, stepchild or ward of any active, retired or deceased PEF member to apply, and a high school senior or college freshman.
The preliminary
application is due by Friday, March 21, 2008. If
the PEF Scholarship Committee approves your application, you will receive a
final application that is due back at PEF headquarters by Friday, April 25.
You can also complete an online application by visiting the PEF Web site and
clicking on “scholarships.”Winners are selected for their academic achievements, community service, interests and hobbies, according to Robert Harms, committee chair.
AFT scholarshipThe American Federation of Teachers (AFT) offers the Robert G. Porter Scholars Program that provides $8,000 over four years to college-bound high school seniors who are pursuing a career in labor, education, health care or government service.
This scholarship is solely merit- based, centering on academic excellence, volunteerism, and activism in the school and community.
Applications are available online at www.aft.org or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Robert G. Porter Scholars Programs, AFT, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001.
Completed applications must be received by Monday, March 31.
Union Plus
The Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $1.8 million to students of working families who want to begin or continue their secondary education.
The program is open to members, spouses and dependent children of PEF and others unions participating in any of the Union Plus programs. Members are not required to purchase any Union Plus products or participate in any Union Plus program to apply.
The amount of the award ranges from $500 to $4,000. This is a one-time cash award sent to individual winners for undergraduate study beginning in the fall of the same year. It is open to students attending or planning to attend a four-year college or university, a community college or a technical college or trade school.
Winners are chosen based on academic achievement, potential, character, leadership, social awareness, career goals and financial need.
Applications must include one letter of reference sealed in a separate envelope and an essay of no more than 500 words describing career goals, aspirations and community service.
Applications can be found online at www.unionplus.org/education, and must be postmarked by Thursday, January 31. They should be mailed to: Union Plus Educational Foundation, c/o Union Privilege, P.O. Box 34800, Washington, D.C. 20043-4800.
Because of the high volume of applications, only winners will be notified and announced in late May.
SEIUYou can also help fulfill your scholarship goals by checking-out the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Through five different scholarship programs, SEIU awards 53 scholarships that enable members and their children to pursue educational goals at accredited colleges, universities and technical schools.
PEF members are eligible to apply for the $5,000 Moe Foner Scholarship if you or your children are interested in pursuing a degree or training in the visual or performing arts, and believe the arts can promote cultural identity and social change.
Foner founded the SEIU 1199 Bread and Roses Cultural Project and used his energy and imagination to tap into New York’s thriving artistic community while making SEIU one of the most recognizable unions in the nation.
Applicants must include a 200-word or less summary describing what the labor movement has meant to you and your family.
SEIU also offers the $5,000 Jesse Jackson Scholarship to a student whose work and aspirations for economic and social justice reflect the values and accomplishments of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
This scholarship can be renewed annually for a maximum of four years.
Eligibility requirements for both the Foner and Jackson scholarships can be found at www.seiu.org/resources/scholarships.
The SEIU scholarship program kicks off in December 2007, and applications must be submitted before Saturday, March 1, 2008. To apply, request the specific program by writing to Scholarship Programs Administrators, INC. (SPA) P.O. Box 23737, Nashville, TN. 37202-3737 or by calling (615) 320-3149.
Other sources
The state Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) also provides free information about financial aid for New York residents. It administers the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and a highly successful college savings program for students and families. You can order free HESC publications and fact sheets, and get information on scholarships, awards, grants and loans online at www.hesc.org or call 1-888-697-4372 or (518) 473-1574.
For local scholarships and loans, check with the guidance counselor at your child’s school for information on financial aid workshops that are traditionally held throughout the state during January. And when applying, don’t forget to meet the deadline.