Scholarships, Other Awards & Contests
Jean Cole Scholarship
Applications for this council-sponsored scholarship
will be mailed to Senior Girl Scouts who are seniors
in high school and to Senior leaders early in February. Applications
usually must be postmarked by early March
en route to the Louisville office. If you have questions or do not receive
your application, call the council office at 1-888-771-5170.
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
Girl Scouts are doing extraordinary things to make
a difference in their communities. The Gloria Barren
Prize for Young Heroes wants to honor them! The Barren Prize recognizes
girls and boys ages 8 to 18 who have shown extraordinary leadership in
making our world a better place. Whether by helping people, protecting
the environment, halting violence, or leading other
important service work, these young people are true heroes - and inspirations
to us all. Nominees must have been the prime mover of the service activity
and demonstrated positive spirit and high moral purpose
in accomplishing their goals. While Girl Scouts are eligible for all
of the awards, there is a specific one designated for a Girl Scout between
the ages of 8 and 18. Recipients of the Barron Prize receive a cash
award of $2,000, and their outstanding achievements
are widely publicized. Nominations can be made by a responsible adult
who is unrelated to the nominee and who has solid knowledge of the nominee
and her work. Nomination packets with all required items must be received
by April 30. For more information, call (970) 875-1448
or visit www.barronprize.org. You may also email questions to ba_richman@barronprize.org or write to The Barron Prize, PO Box 17, Boulder, CO
80306-0017.
ILN Young Achievers Award
The International Leadership Network is a national
non-profit organization formed to recognize the leadership
achievements of young people. It sponsors the Young Achievers Program
to reward young people in grades 5-12 who are achievers, role models,
good citizens, and competent scholars. Adults, leaders, or family members
may make nominations for the Young Achievers Award
in various grade level categories: elementary, middle school, and high
school. All ILN Young Achievers receive Certificates of Achievement;
fifty receive medallions for outstanding accomplishment; and three Young
Achievers of the Year receive U.S. savings bonds worth $500 (grade 5),
$1,000 (grades 6-8), or $1,500 (grades 9-12). In addition, three Young
Achiever Leadership Awards are presented, one in each
of the following categories: Leader of Tomorrow (grade 11), Mentor of
the Year (grades 9-12), Musician of the Year (grades 5-12). Each receives
a $2,000 U.S. Savings Bond. Information and nomination forms are available
on the web at www.YoungAchievers.us, or by writing
Young Achievers Program, 1750 S. Brentwood Blvd., Suite 502, St. Louis,
MO 63144, or by calling 800-693-4384. Nomination forms are sent to all
Girl Scout councils each Spring. The deadline to submit nomination forms
is October 1.
Congressional Awards
Young people ages 14-23 can participate in the Congressional
Award program. This is an opportunity to be challenged,
be more involved, and try new things. To earn the award, a young person
sets a personal goal in each of four areas: volunteer
public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration
activities. In a cumulative program, they progress
from earning Bronze, Silver and Gold Certificates and Bronze, Silver
and Gold Medals. After registering, they begin by choosing an advisor
and developing their individual goal statements. They then choose activities
through which they’ll accomplish their goals, have the activities
approved by the advisor and begin to achieve their goals. To obtain
a flier describing the program, visit www.congressionalaward.org or contact Nancy at the council office at 502-636-0900 or 888-771-5170.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
The search is on to find the top youth volunteer. If
you are selected, you could receive $1,000, an impressive
silver medallion, and a trip to Washington, D.C., next May. National
Honorees receive an additional award of $5,000, a gold medallion,
and a trophy for their schools. If you are a student in middle or
high school who feels you've made a positive difference through a
volunteer activity during the past year, go to www.prudential.com and click on How to Enter on the left for an application after reading
everything else. (The application takes a while to download). Nomination
materials are available in the "Community Involvement" section of
the site. Applications are usually due in October. Local Honorees
are selected at participating organizations in November, and, from
these winners, two State Honorees are chosen in each state, the
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Finally, 10 National Honorees
are picked by a panel of prominent judges, and announced at a special
ceremony in Washington, D.C. in May.
Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarships
The Elks National Foundation will award 500 four-year national scholarships for students pursuing a degree on a full-time basis. Top prizes will be two $60,000, two $40,000, and two $20,000 scholarships. Runners-up will receive $4,000 scholarships awarded over a four-year period. (These Most Valuable Student Scholarships replace the Elks Gold Award Scholarships.)
High school seniors who are citizens of the United States are eligible to apply. (Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks.) Males and females compete separately and judging is based on scholarship, leadership, and financial need.
For complete details, and to download an application, visit www.elks.org/enf/scholars/mvs.cfm. Applications must be received by your local Elks Lodge by January 12, 2007. To find the lodge closest to you, go to www.elks.org/lodges. If you do not have access to this information on the web, contact Terri Tock, training development coordinator, on ext. 229 at the council office or via e-mail: ttock@kyanags.org. The 500 national winners will be announced in mid-May 2007.
Girls Going Places College Scholarship
The
Girls Going Places College Scholarship Program is The Guardian Life
Insurance Company's annual national competition designed to recognize
and reward teenage girls who demonstrate exceptional entrepreneurship.
Guardian designed the annual program to help women to create, invest,
and protect wealth by honoring girls between the ages of 12 and 16
who are taking the first steps toward financial independence. Guardian
and Girls Going Places will award 15 girls a total of $30,000 to be
used toward their college education. Three top scholarship prizes
of $10,000, $5,000, and $3,000 and twelve finalist prizes of $1,000
each will be awarded. Adults may nominate girls - for example, a daughter,
niece, neighbor, or student - by submitting an essay on why the nominee
deserves a Girls Going Places award. Nominees should demonstrate entrepreneurship
and/or financial acumen; have taken the first steps toward financial
independence; make a difference in their school, community, or in
other people's lives; and show potential for future
success. For complete program information and nomination procedures,
see the Guardian Life Insurance
website.
Nomination period for the Girls Going Places Scholarship
Program begins September and ends February. The deadline for nominations
is usually late February.
United Methodist Good Samaritan Award
The United Methodist Church has developed the Good
Samaritan Award to recognize youth who demonstrate
excellence in humanitarian assistance, outreach,
or advocacy. Any student in grades 7-12 or between ages 12 and 18
who is affiliated with a United Methodist Church or is a member of
a troop that meets in the church may be nominated for the award. The
candidate should demonstrate "significant" personal
and selfless contributions towards others or assistance to individuals
in need. The candidate must be nominated by an adult familiar with
her outstanding service. The local church is responsible to determine
the qualification of the award recipient. For more information and
an application, contact Office of Civic Youth-Serving Agencies/Scouting,
P.O. Box 340006, Nashville, TN 37203-0006 or call (615) 340-7129.
VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary Contests
The VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary sponsor several contests that might be of interest to older Girl Scouts:
- Voice of Democracy - An audio essay based on this year's theme, "My Role in Honoring America's Veterans." For students in 9th to 12th grade. Deadline: November 1, 2007.
- Patriot's Pen - A written essay based on this year's theme, "Why I Am An American Patriot." For students in 6th to 8th grade. Deadline: November 1, 2007.
- Young American Creative Patriotic Art Awards - An art contest for students in 9th to 12th grades. Deadline: March 31, 2008.
- Outstanding Young Volunteer of the Year Award - For students ages 12 to 15 who have provided outstanding volunteer service to their community. Deadline: February 1, 2008.
If you are intersted in entering or nominating someone for these contests, please contact Jean Duffy at 502-254-9497 or by e-mail at boxflyer@aol.com.Last year the national winners of the Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen contest were both girls.
Corinne Jeannine Schillings Foundation Scholarship
This scholarship is available to girls who have earned their Silver and/or Gold Award. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of Corinne Schillings, who lost her life on March 6, 2004, in a water taxi accident in Baltimore Harbor. The Foundation awards scholarships to those attaining the Girl Scout Silver or Gold Award and plan to or are currently a major/minor in foreign language at a four-year college or university. The scholarship is $1,500 per academic year and may be renewed 3 times after the initial award for a total $6,000 maximum award. The Foundation also supports Girl Scout Silver and Gold recipients who plan to study abroad regardless of their major/minor. The scholarship to study abroad is $1,000 and is not renewable. For more information about this scholarship, visit their website at www.cjsfoundation.org
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