Community Foundation Scholarships Assist With Soaring College Costs

Sept. 7, 2010 - PRLog -- Paying for higher education has long been a challenge for many families, one that is intensifying with the rising costs of college coupled with the poor economy.  There is some good news to report on this front, however.

The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore administers 89 scholarship funds that provide financial assistance for college students throughout the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.  This summer the Community Foundation awarded $194,000 in scholarships to 150 students in the region.

“Helping young people here on the Lower Shore fulfill their dreams and realize their full potential is among the highest of the Community Foundation’s goals,” said Spicer Bell, Foundation President.  Some of the Foundation’s scholarships are available for students in particular high schools, while others target specific college majors or professional careers.

Typical of the scholarships available through the foundation each year, is one for students in Wicomico County through a fund established in memory of Elizabeth Brittingham Pusey.  In 2010 the fund established by Mrs. Pusey awarded scholarships to 17 students who are attending community colleges or four-year colleges.

This summer four students received scholarships from the Foundation’s Richard F. and Patricia M. Hazel Minority Teachers Scholarship Fund.  The fund provides scholarship awards to support minority students in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties who plan to teach on the Eastern Shore after graduation from college.

While most Foundation scholarships do not limit students to a particular course of study, there are scholarships available for students wishing to pursue careers in teaching, architecture, engineering, healthcare, or even golf course turf management.  A complete listing of Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore scholarships is available online by visiting www.cfes.org.  

Another valuable online resource for scholarship information for Eastern Shore students is the Delmarva Education Foundation’s (DEF) website www.delmarvaed.org.  DEF is a nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to improve educational opportunities for residents of the Lower Delmarva Peninsula.

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CFES is the largest non-governmental source of support for nonprofit and faith based organizations in the Maryland lower shore counties of Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester, having made over $36 million in grants to the community since 1984.