More than 100 people attended the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies’ Cake and Ice Cream Scholarship Social to honor this year’s college scholarship winners, as well as the donors who make the scholarships possible.

To date, approximately 450 scholarships valued at more than $469,000 have been awarded to students across the region. The funds, many of which have been established in memory of loved ones or to honor friends and colleagues, benefit students in more than 20 school districts across Cambria, Somerset and Bedford counties, as well as parts of Indiana and Westmoreland counties. The recipients also include students from a six-state area who have coordinated community blood drives to earn scholarships from the American Red Cross Blood Services High School Scholarship Fund.

During the Social, students met and talked with the donors who fund the scholarships. Similarly, donors had the chance to meet the recipients of their scholarships and learn more about the students’ plans for the future.

Scholarship recipients are chosen based on a wide range of criteria, including academic, civic, athletic or leadership achievements that occurred during the students’ high school careers.  However, scholarships also support students who plan to enter a specific field of study, such as education, nursing and information technology. Other scholarships support students who will be attending specific institutions, such as any of the University of Pittsburgh campuses, Lafayette College and vocational schools.

“Our scholarship program has a positive effect on hundreds of students every year and continues to grow,” noted Mike Kane, president of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. “In fact, in just the last 12 months, we have worked with donors to create 10 new scholarship funds. This reflects the generous spirit of our community, as well as the importance that so many members of the region place on education.”

Posted on June 18, 2014 at 12:23 PM by Angie Berzonski