Ronald McDonald House Charities® New York Tri-State Area Awards $85,000 To Five High School Seniors

ISELIN, N.J., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ronald McDonald House Charities^® New York Tri-State Area (RMHC-NYTSA) will award scholarships to five outstanding high school graduates as part of its Scholars scholarship program to provide college tuition assistance for promising students.  Each winner will receive a total of $17,000 over the course of their four-year college career.  In the first year, each student will be awarded $5,000, then $4,000 per year for each of the remaining three years. In total, RMHC-NYTSA will award $725,000 in scholarships to 41 area students across all four of its scholarship programs in 2013, reinforcing RMHC's commitment to advancing education and supporting young people in our communities.

Recipients were selected based on demonstrated academic achievement, financial need and community involvement. The 2013 General Scholars award winners are exemplary students and citizens from throughout the New York Tri-State area, including:

• Tafari John-King (Brooklyn, New York) will attend Harvard University
• Milana Larin (Bayside, New York) will attend Barnard College
• Xin Lin (Flushing, New York) will attend SUNY Stony Brook
• Taylor Muthersbaugh (Monroe, CT) will attend University of Connecticut
• Kiruthyagini Sivanesathasan (Elmont, New York) will attend Binghamton University

"These remarkable students truly embody what it means to be Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship recipients, through their stellar work both inside and outside the classroom," said Christopher Perry, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Tri State Area. "We are proud to support these young men and women as they strive towards achieving their goals and become productive members of society."

To be eligible for the scholarship awards, applicants had to be graduating high school seniors planning to attend a two or four-year college or university with a complete course of study.  Applicants must be legal U.S. residents, less than 21-years-of-age and reside within the geographical boundaries of the participating RMHC Chapter.  Through this program, RMHC offers graduating high school seniors from local communities the chance to apply for tuition assistance. 

Students of all backgrounds were eligible to apply by submitting a scholarship application to one of the four scholarship programs available: the RMHC/Asian-Pacific Students Increasing Achievement Scholarship (RMHC/ASIA), RMHC/African American Future Achievers Scholarship (RMHC/AAFA), the RMHC/Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources (RMHC/H.A.C.E.R.) and the RMHC Scholars Scholarship (students of all ethnicities are eligible to apply). In 2012, RMHC NY Tri-State disbursed $608,000 in scholarship monies to NY Tri-State area scholarship recipients across all four scholarship programs.

RMHC began its support of scholarship programs in 1985 by committing $50,000 toward its first scholarships, which were awarded through the Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources (HACER) program. In 2001, the RMHC/ASIA (Asian Students Increasing Achievement) and RMHC African American Future Achievers Scholarships (RMHC/AAFA) began. Since 1985, more than $44 million in scholarships have been awarded by U.S. Chapters and RMHC Global. 

About Ronald McDonald House Charities of the New York Tri-State Area:

For over 20 years, Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Tri-State Area has been creating, finding and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. Their signature programs include scholarships to help provide access to a college education for students who need and earn it, and community grants to support a variety of local children's charities in the areas of medicine, crisis intervention, social and civic services, education, and the arts. The organization also provides needed support to 5 Ronald McDonald Houses, which are "homes away from home" allowing families to be with their hospitalized children for extended periods of time. For further information, please visit www.rmhcnytristate.org or call 732.623.8549.

SOURCE Ronald McDonald House Charities of the New York Tri-State Area