Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund Launches 2010 Fundraising Campaign
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund today announced a fundraising goal of reaching $1 million to coincide with its 10-year anniversary at the end of 2011.
"Since the Fund's inception in 2001, we have been able to help nearly 200 students move forward with their lives after the tragic loss of a parent or spouse," said Joan McCallen, President of the Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund, and President & CEO of ICMA-RC. "Our goal is to serve many more students over the next 10 years."
To date, the Fund has awarded over $685,000 in scholarships to the surviving children and spouses of city, county, and state employees who have died in service to their communities.
"The Scholarship Fund is a valuable source of financial support for these students, and we want to continue to help them pursue their education and career dreams," McCallen said. "ICMA-RC encourages existing contributors and new ones to join us in this worthy cause."
Scholarships up to $10,000 are awarded to eligible students who plan to attend accredited colleges, universities or vocational schools on a full-time basis. Recipients are selected based on academic record, demonstrated leadership, volunteer activities, honors, work experience, and financial need. They must also be the surviving child or spouse of a public employee who has died in the line of duty.
Many recipients honor the lives of their loved ones by seeking out community-focused education and career paths. They pursue degrees in areas such as criminal justice, education, social work, medicine, and nursing.
Funding for the scholarships comes from private companies, non-profit organizations, foundations and individual donors. More than 98 percent of every dollar donated is awarded directly to scholarship recipients.
The Fund is governed by a three-member board that meets annually to manage and oversee the award selection process. Members include: Eddie Moore, president of Virginia State University (Chair); James Berzina, former city manager of Wichita Falls, Texas; and Norm King, former executive director of the San Bernardino Associated Governments.
For more information on how to support the Scholarship Fund, visit www.vantagescholar.org.
About the Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund is a Section 501(c)(3) public charity founded by ICMA-RC in 2001. Financial support for the scholarship is provided by ICMA-RC, individual sponsors, private companies, nonprofits, and foundations. Applications for the 2010/2011 school year will be accepted from Dec. 15, 2009 - March 15, 2010. For more information visit www.vantagescholar.org.
About ICMA-RC
ICMA-RC is an independent not-for-profit corporation focused on providing retirement plans and related services for more than 900,000 public employees in more than 8,000 retirement plans. Its mission is to help build retirement security for public employees by providing investment tools, financial education, and other retirement-related services. The corporation also works to ease the administrative responsibility of local governments that offer these benefits to their employees. For more information visit www.icmarc.org
SOURCE Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund
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