College Foundation, Inc. Announces 2011 Winners of Victor E. Bell, Jr. Scholarship

-- Bell Scholarship will give N.C. 7th graders up to $20,000 for college --

RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- College Foundation, Inc. (CFI) has announced 11 winners of the 2011 Victor E. Bell, Jr. Scholarship.  This is the fifth year the scholarships have been awarded to encourage North Carolina seventh grade students with high potential to aspire to a college education.

The scholarship is named in honor of the visionary former chairman of the CFI Board of Trustees who served for 30 years and left a strong legacy of service to North Carolina.

Winners receive $2,000 per year, from middle school through the fourth year of college, up to a maximum total of $20,000 per recipient, as long as they continue to meet annual renewal criteria.  Awards are contributed to an account in the North Carolina 529 plan with the individual recipient named as the beneficiary of the account.

Winners of the 2011 Victor E. Bell, Jr. Scholarships are:

Rahteesha S. Burgess, Mebane
Hawfields Middle School, Mebane

Cheyenne Brown, Charlotte
Westerly Hills Academy, Charlotte

Diadra Castro, Selma
Selma Middle School, Selma

Sarah E. Greaves, Boone
Hardin Park Middle, Boone

Jamya M. Moore, Chocowinity
Chocowinity Middle School, Chocowinity

Kaden M. Moore, Bolton
Hallsboro Middle School, Hallsboro

Tamara Moore, Ringelwood
East Arcadia Middle, Ringelwood

Trensise B. Moore, Battleboro
Phillips Middle School, Battleboro

Keely M. Pinner, Columbia
Columbia Middle School, Columbia

Linda Sandoval, Charlotte
Eastway Middle School, Charlotte

Tyler Shaffer, Greensboro
Kernodle Middle School, Greensboro,

Middle school counselors and principals, as well as selected college readiness/access groups across the state, are invited to nominate one student per school or group each year.  CFI selects recipients by a random drawing.

CFI funds ten new Victor E. Bell, Jr. Scholarships annually and continues to fund scholarships for previous recipients who meet annual renewal criteria.   Other organizations or individuals are welcome to contribute to the Bell Scholarship Program or to fund and create their own similar scholarship that can be administered by CFI.

College Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit corporation serving North Carolina students and families since 1955, administers a portfolio of $3.3 billion in low-interest education loans, the state's college grant programs and the tax-free "529" college savings program on behalf of the State Education Assistance Authority.   Website: www.CFNC.org.

Toll-free number: 1-866-866-CFNC.

SOURCE College Foundation, Inc.