Thursday, November 13, 2008

2009 commissary scholarship applications now available

November is a great time of year for many reasons - cool, crisp weather, tailgating at football games, Thanksgiving and fall colors, to name just a few. For high school or college students who are a child in a military family, they might want to add free college money to a list of things that happen around this time of year, as the Defense Commissary Agency’s 2009 Scholarships for Military Children Program is open.

Scholarship applications are available at commissaries worldwide and online through a link at https://www.commissaries.com and
directly at http://www.militaryscholar.org.

The program kickoff each year in November coincides with National Military Family Month, and the scholarships are a way for commissaries to get involved with the community and demonstrate support for the contributions of military families.

According to DeCA Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philip E. Sakowitz Jr., the program has awarded more than $6.4 million in scholarships to more than 4,000 of the best and brightest children of military families since it began in 2001.

“We know education is the key to a better future,” Sakowitz explained, “and we’re thrilled to be a part of something that makes it a little more affordable for military families.”

The scholarship program is emblematic of DeCA’s commitment to improving the quality of life of America’s servicemembers and their families by making military paychecks go further in today’s uncertain economy. The program awards $1,500 scholarships to well-rounded, accomplished children of military families, meaning those families don’t have to dig as deep into their pockets to pay for tuition.

Only dependent, unmarried children (under age 23) of active-duty personnel, Reserve/Guard and retired military members, survivors of servicemembers who died while on active duty or survivors of individuals who died while receiving retired pay from the military may apply for a scholarship.

Eligibility is determined using the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database. Applicants should ensure they and their sponsor, are enrolled in the DEERS database and have a current ID card. The applicant must be planning to attend, or already be attending, an accredited college or university full time in the fall 2009, or be enrolled in a program of studies designed to transfer directly into a four-year program.

Applicants should prepare to submit an essay on the following topic: “What would you place inside a time capsule to help people in the next century understand military life today?” Applications must be turned in to a commissary by Feb. 18. At least one scholarship will be awarded at every commissary location with qualified applicants.