Scholarship Blogosphere

The Bright Future Dollars for Scholars Program is one of the most unique Dollars for Scholars chapters in the Scholarship America family. The Bright Future program began in the Seattle area in 1999, as a way for high school juniors and seniors to enter professional and technical fields at area colleges while simultaneously completing high school; the program quickly partnered with John Marshall High School's Dollars for Scholars chapter, to provide financial aid for those students who were qualified for Bright Future but couldn't afford tuition.

In 2006, thanks largely to the program's success at John Marshall, the chapter's name was changed to Bright Future Dollars for Scholars, and now provides Dollars for Scholars scholarships to qualified students from all Seattle-area public high schools.

Those students include Crystal Patterson, a Marshall graduate who's now working in the University of Washington Hospital's ER and going to nursing school—thanks in large part to Bright Future Dollars for Scholars and the encouragement of her dad. KUOW Radio in Seattle spoke with Crystal, and we'll let their description introduce her story:

"Fifty hours a week, at the University of Washington Medical Center ER, Crystal Patterson is so busy that she barely has time to go to the bathroom. She's cleaning wounds, drawing blood, doing EKGs, all kinds of tasks. All the medical assistants work like crazy, of course, but 18–year–old Crystal is special in that she's been doing this for a year already while her friends finished high school. And, she's going to nursing school in the fall. And, her dad never made much more than minimum wage working as a janitor. She does think her story is significant because not everyone who comes from a low income family makes it. But she did."

You can listen to the episode of KUOW's Sound Focus that feature's Crystal's story right here. If you'd like more information about Bright Future Dollars for Scholars, you can contact our Northwest Dollars for Scholars Regional Office.

Jefferson Dollars for Scholars in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, has a long tradition of helping local students; and, after Hurricane Katrina struck, the chapter found itself on the front lines for assistance, working with Scholarship America to ensure that their scholarship recipients and all area students could continue pursuing their educational dreams in spite of the tragedy.

The chapter has done much more, too, between providing financial assistance, mentoring students for future success and receiving Scholarship America's Golden Tassel Award (recognizing outstanding Dollars for Scholars chapters) not once but twice. Now, you can find out more about Jefferson Dollars for Scholars in the video below. If you have questions or would like to get in touch with the chapter, drop us an email, and we'll pass it along.


Jefferson Dollars for Scholars from Scholarship America on Vimeo.

In 1990, the Charlie Mack Celebrity Basketball Game started as a simple charitable benefit event; since then, it's grown and evolved into the weekend-long Party 4 Peace, benefiting and bringing together organizations that work in a variety of ways to help young people live without fear and violence.

One of the most proven methods of doing just that is by encouraging educational achievement, and Scholarship America is pleased to be participating in this year's Party 4 Peace to do so. While she won't be playing ball in the celebrity game alongside NBAers Rudy Gay, Jameer Nelson and Elton Brand, Scholarship America's own Marian Marchese will be appearing at the Love for the Kids luncheon and panel discussion on Saturday, July 12 in Philadelphia. The luncheon will feature speakers from a number of organizations as well as kids from 12-16, and focus on peace and what to do to achieve it.

For more about the weekend itself, visit CharlieMackCelebrityWeekend.com; if you're in the Philadelphia area and are looking for tickets to the basketball game itself, they're available at the Temple University/Liacouras Center Web site.

For most students, summer vacation -- and the 4th of July long weekend -- is dedicated to friends, family, food and fun. But it can also be a great opportunity to volunteer, as more than 1,200 college students are finding out via Hope Worldwide's Rebuild the City weekend coming up in New Orleans.

On July 4, students from more than 150 colleges and universities will be cleaning up more than 100 empty lots in the Lower Ninth Ward of the city, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina; the day will end with a special ceremony in the ward's Buck Park, welcoming back thousands of displaced residents to a neighborhood that's ready for real rebuilding.

Scholarship America, through our Dollars for Scholars chapters and disaster relief programs, was able to help hundreds of Katrina's displaced continue their college educations, and we're delighted that so many students -- not just from the area, but from across the country -- are willing to donate their time over a long summer weekend to continue to give back.

For more information on the program, visit Hope Worldwide's site at HOPEww.org.

Fall River, Massachusetts, is the original home of Scholarship America and Dollars for Scholars; fifty years ago, local optometrist Irving Fradkin started what would become the nation's largest non-profit, private-sector scholarship organization. Last week, the city celebrated, with a luncheon featuring speeches from Dr. Fradkin, Scholarship America board chair Mim Schreck, Fall River mayor Robert Correia and Margot Tyler of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

As Dr. Fradkin pointed out: "Democracy rests on three things. Education, education, education. Once upon a time all you needed was a strong back, but now, we need to compete globally."

You can find more wise words from our founder, and high praise from fellow participants, by reading the full story in the Fall River Spirit.

As Anne Applebaum points out in Slate, high school students are stressed like never before. Between high college costs, increasingly competitive admissions and the balance of work, school and social life, juniors and seniors have more on their minds than even their older siblings or cousins from less than a generation ago.

If you're a student or a parent stressing out about upcoming educational milestones, check out Scholarship America's Application Tips and other Student Resources, which can help you find scholarships, find advice and make sure those applications stand out. The application process is hard, and we're here to help.

We'd also love to know your tips and tricks for beating stress -- if you're applying to college, applying for scholarships or helping students yourself, leave us a comment and let us know how you keep things in perspective!

Ralph "Cy" Seifert has been around Scholarship America since our earliest days as a coalition of community scholarship foundations in New England. Our founder, Irving Fradkin, awarded Cy a Dollars for Scholars scholarship in 1961, which helped him attend Brown University; since then, Cy has been a tireless organizer of chapters, and has served as president of Scholarship America, chair of our board, and, currently, as an Honor Roll Trustee.

Cy addressed the recent meeting of our Board of Trustees, and his speech is now available, in its entirety, on Scholarship America's YouTube Channel. Head on over and check it out, for a highly amusing and insightful look at Scholarship America's history.

ThanksUSA began in 2005 as an idea by two Virginia schoolgirls, Rachel and Kelsi Okun, who wanted a way to thank active-duty troops throughout the U.S. Armed Forces. The girls, with help from their parents and a small group of adults, developed the idea to raise funds for need-based scholarships for the children and spouses of active-duty military personnel. ThanksUSA was created as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization to raise and award scholarships to these families. Scholarship America is proud to manage the application and awards process for ThanksUSA, which has to date awarded more than 1,350 scholarships for nearly $4 million.

The centerpiece of ThanksUSA is an annual "American History Treasure Hunt," which raises funds for scholarships as well as awareness of the organization, and offers prizes ranging from gift certificates to laptops. The third annual Treasure Hunt is going on now through August 15, so there's still time to play, or gear up for next year's hunt.

In addition, ThanksUSA is hosting a Pro-Am Tennis Tournament later this month, and is looking for players who'd like to have a great time helping a great cause. The tournament will take place on June 16 in Arlington, Virginia; for more information, contact Michele Stork at ThanksUSA. Once again, Scholarship America is proud to play a part in helping ThanksUSA thank those who serve, and to help them provide the gift of education.

Dr. Clifford Stanley, president of Scholarship America, took the opportunity last week to be a part of a terrific event in our own offices' backyard -- the first annual Celebration Of Education event in St. Paul, MN, held by a group of private scholarship providers to celebrate more than 100 students who received scholarships to further their education.

As the St. Paul Pioneer Press put it:

"And may a warm sun and a few bright lights grace today's to-do in Rice Park, where five private organizations have called a party to encourage the 100-plus graduating seniors whom they've awarded college scholarships. There'll be food, music, short speeches by dignitaries such as Mayor Chris Coleman, school Superintendent Meria Carstarphen and Scholarship America CEO Clifford Stanley — and some remarkable young people who are the guests of honor. ...

"'We feel we're just doing what we should be doing,' says John Tillotson, a vice president with the financial firm Smith Barney. Tillotson has been involved for a dozen years with the scholarship program of the Optimist Club of St. Paul [which awards scholarships through Scholarship America's Dollars for Scholars program]. From his office overlooking Rice Park, Tillotson has been working for months on today's event, thinking, 'Let's celebrate what these kids have done. Let's celebrate what our local schools have produced, and let's celebrate the community gathering its resources to send these kids on to higher education.'"

You can read the full Pioneer Press article here; our congratulations to the students, and our thanks to everyone who helped them take another step toward their educational dreams.

The Fergus Falls (MN) Daily Journal has long been one of many newspapers in the country that actively and frequently publicizes the work of their local Dollars for Scholars chapter, including a series of columns from college freshmen who've won scholarships from Fergus Falls Dollars for Scholars. And, now, the paper is presenting some live-action media, too, on their Videos Page. Click there and scroll down to May 1 to see an interview with chapter president Dave Schneeberger about his work with Dollars for Scholars and the impact the program has on this small central Minnesota town. You can also get to the video directly by clicking here; be forewarned that it'll auto-play, so adjust those speakers before you click.