By DEBORAH A. MILES
The Joseph Scacalossi Scholarship Program has been PEF’s way of investing in young people for more than 20 years.
 
The union has awarded $740,000 to college-bound students since the scholarship was formed and named after a PEF council leader at the state Department of Labor in New York City. Scacalossi was an activist and helped organize PEF in its early years.

Robert Harms heads PEF’s Scholarship Committee which takes on the challenging task of reviewing hundreds of applications.

“The quality we find in these high caliber students makes the process of selecting the final 10 exciting for us,” Harms said. “It is a pleasure to see the variety of interests and accomplishments brought forth by children of PEF members.”

Winners are selected for their academic achievements, community service, interests and hobbies.

The scholarship is worth $1,000 for each of four years, and is awarded to 10 students annually. The student must be a child, stepchild or ward of any active, retired or deceased PEF member, and a high school senior or college freshman.

The preliminary application for 2009 is available HERE or can be obtained on the PEF Web site by selecting “scholarships.” The preliminary application is due March 20. If the application is approved, a final one will be mailed and is due back at PEF
headquarters by April 24. Winners will be
announced in early summer.
Union Plus
The Union Plus Scholarship is available not only to
children of PEF members, but to members and spouses who want to begin or continue their secondary education.

The program has awarded nearly $2 million to students of working families. 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.

Along with the application, an essay with a maximum of 500 words is required. The essay can account for up to half of your total score and should include career goals, community service, your relationship with the labor movement, how PEF has affected your life and why you believe you are a good choice for this award.

Follow the checklist, as failing to include a sealed letter of recommendation may eliminate you, even if you are a straight-A student.

Applications are available online at www.unionplus.org. Make sure your application is postmarked by January 31 and mailed to: Union Plus Educational Foundation, c/o Union Privilege, P.O. Box 34800, Washington, D.C. 20043-4800. Notification to the winners will be mailed May 31, 2009.

AFT
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Robert G. Porter Scholarship Program offers four four-year, $8,000 post-secondary scholarships to students who are dependents of AFT members, as well as 10 one-time $1,000 grants to AFT members to assist with their continuing education.

Students applying for a Porter Scholarship must be pursuing a career in labor, education, health care or government service. They must submit an essay as part of their application. This year, the topic is how to maintain education and other public services, during the current economic crisis. Applicants must also provide two letters of recommendation and have an excellent academic record.

Applications are available online at www.aft.org or by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Robert G. Porter Scholars Program, AFT, 555 New Jersey Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.Completed applications must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 31.

SEIU
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) offers four scholarships.

A total of 48 lottery scholarships are awarded annually, which includes 15 $1,000 scholarships renewable for up to four years as well as 33 $1,500 scholarships for one year of study.

PEF members also are eligible to apply for a $5,000 Moe Foner Scholarship, a nonrenewable scholarship available to students pursuing a degree or training in the visual or performing arts, and who believe the arts are a vehicle to advance 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 them and their families.
SEIU also offers the $5,000 Jesse Jackson Scholarship, renewable for up to four years, to a student whose work and aspirations for economic and social justice reflect the values and accomplishments of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Another $5,000 scholarship, the John Geagan Scholarship, was created for applicants who are not served by traditional education institutions, typically adults who have been in the work force and have decided to return to college. This annual scholarship is available for SEIU members and their children who want to pursue a college degree in labor studies.

The SEIU scholarship program kicked-off in November 2008 and applications must be submitted before March 2, 2009.

For a full description of each scholarship, visit the SEIU Web site. 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.

HESC and other sources
The state Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) also provides free information about financial aid for New Yorkers. It administers the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and a highly successful college savings program for students and families. Free HESC publications and fact sheets, plus information on scholarships, awards, grants and loans are available online at www.hesc.com or call 1-888-697-4372 or (518) 473-1574.

Guidance counselors at your child’s school are also an excellent source for learning about financial aid workshops traditionally held throughout the state in January.

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