Scholarships provide big bucks in hard times

Scholarships provide big bucks in hard times

By DEBORAH A. MILES

very little bit helps when you are footing the bills for your child’s education, especially when the nation is pulling out of a recession. One of the best ways to lighten the financial load of college is by having your son or daughter apply for a union-based scholarship.

PEF has helped ease the crunch by giving more than $780,000 to students through the Joseph Scacalossi Scholarship Program since 1988. The scholarship was formed and named after a PEF council leader at the state Department of Labor who fought tooth-and-nail for his members.

In his memory, every year 10 students are each awarded $1,000 annually for four years. 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.

Bonnie Wood heads PEF’s Scholarship Committee which includes Debi Chowdhury, Maureen Hogle, Evarist Nicholas and Steve Sherokey and is staffed by Joanne Wright.

The preliminary application for 2010 is LOCATED ON THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER ON THIS PAGE. You may also complete the application online by going to the PEF Web site, www.pef.org, and selecting “scholarships.” It is due March 19.

If the preliminary application is approved, a final application will be mailed to you and is due back at PEF headquarters by April 30. Winners are selected for their academic achievements, community service, interests and hobbies.

You also should check with your council leader or regional coordinator for information on PEF regional or division scholarships.

SEIU
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has five different scholarship programs available to PEF members. March 1 is the deadline for applications.
A total of 48 lottery applications are selected annually.

Fifteen students will receive $1,000 scholarships renewable for up to four years, and 33 applicants are awarded $1,500 scholarships for one year of study.

SEIU’s Moe Foner Scholarship is a $5,000 non-renewable scholarship available to students who are 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 tapped into New York’s thriving artistic community, while making SEIU one of the most recognizable unions in the nation.

Applicants for the Foner scholarship must submit a 200-words-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 to be expended over 24 months is the John Geagan Scholarship. It was created mainly for adults who have been in the work force and have decided to return to college to pursue a degree in labor studies.

The SEIU Nora Piore Scholarship is offered to SEIU members and their children who plan health care careers. It is a $4,375 scholarship renewable for up to four years.

For more details, visit the SEIU Web site, www.seiu.org. To apply, request the specific program by writing to Scholarship Programs Administrators Inc. (SPA), PO Box 23737, Nashville, TN 37202-3737 or call (615) 320-3149.

The SEIU scholarship programs kicked-off in November 2009 and applications must be submitted before March 1, 2010.

AFT
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Robert G. Porter Scholarship Program provides $8,000 for four years to four students. It also offers 10 one-time $1,000 grants to AFT members to help with their continuing education costs.

Students applying for a Porter scholarship must be pursuing a career in labor, education, health care or government service. The application requires an essay to be attached, as well as two letters of recommendation. The student also must 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 Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Union Plus
Children as well as PEF members and their spouses are eligible for The Union Plus Scholarship. The awards range from $500 to $4,000, and are one-time cash awards 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 may account for up to half of the 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.

Make sure to include a sealed letter of recommendation. If you don’t follow the checklist, you may be eliminated, even if you are a straight-A student.
The deadline for applications is January 31.

Applications are available online at www.unionplus.org. Mail it to Union Plus Educational Foundation, c/o Union Privilege, PO Box 34800, Washington, DC 20043-4800.
Notification to the winners will be mailed May 31, 2010.

HESC and more
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 (888) 697-4372 or (518) 473-1547.

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