Marion Community Foundation’s 2013 Scholarship Program is now underway with more than $250,000 available for area scholars. This is an increase of $100,000 from last year’s program, due to the ever increasing number of scholarships under the Foundation’s stewardship. Scholarship funds available at MCF now number 62.
New scholarship funds added in the past year include: Clare Cooke Performing Arts Scholarship Fund, Everett Family Scholarship Fund, Gladys & Everett Granger Memorial Scholarship Fund, Pleasant Academic Boosters Scholarship Fund, Eula M. Rhoades Scholarship Fund, International Association of Administrative Professionals Scholarship Fund, Isabel Freer Memorial Scholarship Fund, and Beatrice Prior Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Also increasing this year, according to Marion Community Foundation president Brad Bebout, is the Wopat Scholars program. Launched last year, the Wopat Scholars awarded two, 4-year, $10,000 per year scholarships to Lauren Thomas, a senior at Marion Harding High School, and Aron Gibson, a senior at River Valley High School. In 2013, that number will double and four Wopat Scholars will be selected.
The Wopat Scholars program is made possible by the substantial gift of the late Robert and Dorothy Wopat.
“These are intended to be ‘impact’ scholarships,” said Bebout. “The Foundation’s scholarship selection committee will identify 5-6 outstanding candidates from among this year’s applicants who demonstrate both superior academic merit and financial need. The intention of impact scholarships is to enable students to attend a college or university program that would otherwise be beyond their reach.”
The selection process for the Wopat Scholars will include a personal interview late in the scholarship season. This will enable MCF’s Scholarship Committee to consider each candidate’s full financial aid package and options in light of the scholarship award.
The online application for the Marion Community Foundation scholarship program has been hugely successful, according to Bebout. The application has been updated for the new year and is already available for applicants’ use.
“In this tech savvy age, students expect to be able to file applications online,” said Bebout.
Not only can the application be completed online, applicants can start and save the application in process and come back and complete it in stages. This allows the applicant to begin the application process while gathering the necessary supporting materials. By providing email addresses, applicants can request letters of recommendation as well as transcripts and records from guidance counselors electronically. All applicants will need to submit their FAFSA information as part of the application process.
Applications are available now through March 18, 2013. The review process continues for several weeks, culminating in the Board’s final decisions in late April. The MCF Scholarship Committee consists of Tom Johnston (committee chair), Larry Geissler, Sue Jacob, Pastor Doug Ford, and Megan Queen.
Additional information and access to the online scholarship application is available at marioncommunityfoundation.org. Students should click on “Scholarship Applications” on the left sidebar to start the process. MCF can also be reached by calling 387-9704 during standard business hours.
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