LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program Now Accepting Applications

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The nonprofit LIFE Foundation today announced that it is now accepting submissions for its LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program, which recognizes the character and perseverance that young people have shown following the loss of a parent or guardian.

LIFE will award a total of $110,000 in scholarships to deserving college-age students who submit either a 500-word essay or 3-minute video describing how their lives have been affected, both financially and emotionally, by the death of a parent or guardian. LIFE will grant college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to eligible students.

"Since 2005, the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program has helped hundreds of young people who have suffered the loss of a parent to pay for their college educations," said Marvin Feldman, CLU, ChFC, president and CEO of the LIFE Foundation. "Many of the students we help are having financial difficulty paying for college because their parents didn't own any life insurance. The best way to ensure that your children will have the opportunity to attend college is to include life insurance in your college-funding plans."

The LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program is accepting applications from anyone between the ages of 17 and 24 who have been accepted to, or are currently enrolled in, a college, university, or trade school, and have suffered the loss of a parent or legal guardian. The deadline to submit an application is March 12, 2012. Students can submit their scholarship applications at www.lifehappens.org/scholarship.

In all, 59 scholarships will be awarded, 50 in the essay category and nine in the video category. LIFE will award two $10,000 grand-prize scholarships, which will be chosen from the pool of first runners-up from the essay and video categories. In addition to the two grand-prize scholarships, five first runners-up in the essay category and one first runner-up in the video category will be selected and awarded $5,000. The grand-prize winner in the video category will be chosen by the public in an online vote that will take place in the summer of 2012 on the LIFE Foundation website.  The remaining scholarship money will be awarded in the form of six $2,500 and 45 $1,000 runner-up scholarships. 

For the third consecutive year, LIFE will award more than $100,000 in scholarships due in large part to generous financial support from the NAILBA Charitable Foundation and the MDRT Foundation, whose grants account for roughly half of the scholarship money that LIFE awards each year.  LIFE also accepts contributions from individual donors.  For information about making a donation visit: http://www.lifehappens.org/donate. 

More information about the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program, including submission guidelines, rules, and a listing of past winners, is available at www.lifehappens.org/life-lessons. Questions regarding the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program should be emailed to [email protected].  

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: Pinar Posluk
212-445-8242

SOURCE The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE)