Foundation's scholarship program eases the burden

MARCUS

For parents looking to send a child off to college in the coming year, the prospects for an easy ride are grim. Simply stated, the cost of putting a child through college today is prohibitive enough, without the recession adding to the burden. However, here is where the Southwest Florida Community Foundation enters the picture, taking some of the financial stress off some lucky young men and women who qualify for scholarship grants. The 2009-10 scholarship program concluded recently with 100 applicants out of more than 1,700 hopeful students receiving a stipend. The winners will be honored at a reception on June 2 at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater.

The Foundation's scholarship grant program is indebted to the 55 donors who have endowed scholarships that benefit high school seniors and college undergraduates. The largest of these programs is the John M. and Mary A. Shanley Memorial Scholarship, which funds students who are pursuing degrees or advanced degrees in medicine, law, dentistry, math, science, teaching, ministry, engineering, accounting, agriculture, architecture or computer science. The Shanley scholarship makes an award of up to $20,000 paid out over four years.

The newest of the Foundation's scholarship funds is the Richard S. Thompson and Marion L. Thompson Memorial scholarship, which awards four $10,000 scholarships to students who pursue a posthigh school science education, including a master's degree.

Many of the programs are aimed at specific segments of the high school and undergraduate communities. For example, some awards are aimed specifically at students who have a disability, children of immigrant parents, and students who are first generation college applicants. A number of the programs are based on specific career goals, such as the Paul B. and Aline Flynn scholarship for journalism students.

While grants for the coming school year have already been awarded, it's not too early to begin planning for next year. Students who are interested in applying should obtain an application from the Community Foundation's Web site. When all of the applications have been received by the February due date, they are distributed to a committee of readers who evaluate each submission and select top candidates and runners-up. The finalists are then interviewed by a scholarship committee of Community Foundation trustees who make the final selection.

The Community Foundation is looking for additional readers to evaluate incoming applications and make recommendations. I was a reader this spring and am on record as saying it was one of the most inspirational experiences I have ever encountered. To meet outstanding young men and women from our area- even just by the applications and essays they submitted- is a pleasure and opportunity that most people do not have. Their stories are as varied as their experiences, from maintaining high grade point averages, sometimes in the face of family problems, to working two jobs and still finding time to participate in community service projects. They were all so deserving that it was hard for me to recommend finalists. It makes my own high school and college years look easy, even though I remember them as challenging. I hope you'll join me next year and meet some inspiring young adults in our area.

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has been supporting the communities of Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades and Hendry through endowed funds for 33 years and during that time has provided more than $39.5 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves. For more information, please call 274-5900, or visit our Web site at www. floridacommunity.com.

— Norman Marcus is a former public television executive and was a professor at Boston University's College of Communication.