Online Vote to Help Make College Possible for a Young Person Who Has Lost a Parent

ARLINGTON, Va., June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The nonprofit LIFE Foundation announced today that it is sponsoring an online vote to help determine which of three students will receive $5,000 to help pay for their college education. Through its LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program, LIFE provides scholarships to young people who are having difficulty paying for college because a parent or guardian died without sufficient life insurance coverage. The two runners-up in the vote will receive scholarships in the amount of $2,500.

The three students featured in the online vote created videos that describe the impact of losing their parents at an early age, as well what they are doing to provide for themselves and their families. The public is encouraged to view the videos and cast their votes by visiting www.lifehappens.org/vote. The deadline to vote is July 5 at 4 p.m. Eastern.

The students featured in the vote are:

• Joshua Gleim, Altoona, PA – Joshua's stepfather was his family's sole breadwinner. When he died, the only life insurance he had was a policy purchased through his business to keep it going in the event of his premature death. His family was left with almost nothing, not even the means to pay for his funeral. Joshua immediately started working to help support his family. During his high school years, he worked full time in addition to studying and pursuing extracurricular activities. Today, he attends Penn State University and works in a fast-food restaurant to help put himself through school.
• Skyler Bairds, Draper, UT – When Skyler's father died, he left behind his wife and three children, but no life insurance to cushion the financial blow to his family. His business died when he did, further exacerbating the family's financial struggles. Skyler isn't letting this get in the way of his college aspirations, even though he knows that paying for his education will be difficult. He plans to attend the University of Utah this fall. He's also committed to publicly sharing his father's story to inspire other families to plan more wisely.
• Mahogany Fleming, Cincinnati, OH – Mahogany was just one year old when her father was shot and killed, leaving her mother to raise Mahogany on her own. Without the financial support of a life insurance policy, her mother was forced to work three jobs at times, and still struggled to make ends meet. Despite the financial hardships her family has faced, Mahogany is determined to obtain a college degree in musical theater and business. She's currently attending a career high school where she will receive her cosmetology license so that, after graduating, she can bring in a steady income to help cover the costs of her college education at the University of Toledo.

"The stories of these young people are a powerful reminder that you can't take for granted that tomorrow will come, and that it's important to consider how your family would manage financially in your absence," said Marvin H. Feldman, CLU, ChFC, RFC, president and CEO of the LIFE Foundation. "The students featured in our online vote are working much harder than their parents would have wanted to be able to pay for their college educations, and that's something that could have been prevented had their parents had an adequate amount of life insurance. We're proud to provide these very deserving students with scholarship support, hopefully getting them one step closer to achieving their college and career goals."

The three students featured in the online vote are among the roughly 1,000 who applied for LIFE Lessons scholarships in 2011. In total, LIFE will award 60 scholarships this year totaling $115,000. The winner of the online vote, as well as the other 2011 scholarship recipients, will be announced in September 2011. For more information about the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program, visit www.lifehappens.org/lifelessons. To watch the video submissions of the three finalists and to cast a vote, visit www.lifehappens.org/vote.

About the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program

The LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program is open to young people between ages 17 and 24, who have experienced the death of a parent or legal guardian, and are currently enrolled in, or have been accepted to, a college, university or trade school. Applications are solicited in the spring and scholarship recipients are notified in the summer.  LIFE accepts individual, tax-deductible donations for the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Fund online at www.lifehappens.org/donate. For more information, visit www.lifehappens.org/lifelessons.

About LIFE

The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) was founded in 1994 in response to the public's growing need for information and education on life, health, disability and long-term care insurance. LIFE also seeks to remind people of the important role insurance professionals perform in helping families, businesses and individuals find the insurance products that best fit their needs. To learn more about these topics, please visit www.lifehappens.org.

CONTACT:
Katharine Carver
212-445-8210
-or-
Matthew Luzuriaga
212-445-8159

SOURCE The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education