Scholarship programs abound

HARRISBURG - The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) and its donors have a strong commitment to area communities. The Foundation offers scholarships to high school and postsecondary students who reside in Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon and Perry counties.

College tuition rates are on the rise and the cost to attend college is becoming increasingly difficult to meet. The Foundation, through its over 70 scholarship programs, continues to assist students each year through grants. Scholarships are endowment funds from which a percentage of annual income earned is used to assist students who need financial assistance. Scholarship applicants generally demonstrate individual excellence in areas such as community service, leadership, sports, music, academics and/or other unique characteristics. Thousands of area students have received scholarships from The Foundation and it constantly strives to attract more donors to increase the amount of scholarship money that goes to deserving students.

The Foundation granted $308,000 for the 2007-2008 academic year. TFEC awarded over 200 scholarships with an average of $1,500 per student. Most of the scholarships range from $250 to $5,000 per academic year. Scholarships were established and continue to increase through contributions and funds designated by donors of the greater Harrisburg region.

Each scholarship is unique. Most have a committee including the donors, a high school guidance counselor and a representative of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities that reviews the applications. The student must demonstrate a need for financial assistance. Other selection criteria may include scholastic ability, career goals and community service.

TFEC is a partner with the American Education Services (AES)/PHEAA's "Partnerships for Access to Higher Education," or PATH Program. The PATH Program has the potential to match TFEC's scholarship grants on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to twice the grant amount, for fulltime undergraduate students who attend Pennsylvania schools of higher education. No additional paperwork is required by students in order to be eligible for a PATH Program match. The PATH Program provides last dollar support for tuition, books and fees. For more information please visit www.pheaa.org

For information on The Foundation's scholarships, contact Dawn Morris, Program Officer at 717-236-5040 or by email dawn@tfec.org or on the website www.tfec.org

Most of the scholarship applications can be downloaded from the website.