Education is arguably the most vital resource a person can receive in their life. Perhaps, no group knows this better than the individuals who are tasked with educating young boys and girls all across the world...Simply put, teachers. One group that has made an effort to help future educators is the Southern Chautauqua County Retired Teachers’ Association, through an annual scholarship awarded from the organization’s fund at the Community Foundation. 

 

The intent of the Southern Chautauqua County Retired Teachers’ Association is to operate for charitable and educational purposes. The organization achieves this goal at the Community Foundation through a scholarship fund. The Southern Chautauqua County Retired Teachers’ Association Scholarship Fund was established in 2001, after the Association received a large gift from a donor. The fund was created and is used as a lasting endowment to help area students who have goals of one day becoming educators by providing them with financial resources to assist with the costs associated with training and education. The Association awards scholarships from their fund annually, and the deadline for application is March 1^st.

 

To be eligible for the scholarship, you must be a high school senior attending Bemus Point, Cassadaga Valley, Chautauqua Lake, Clymer, Falconer, Frewsburg, Jamestown, Panama, Sherman or Southwestern Central High Schools. You must also have plans to major in the fields of elementary or secondary education. For the application, you will be asked to complete a 200-word essay titled, “My Reason for Entering the Field of Education”. Once completed, the application can be submitted to your high school’s guidance department. The application for this scholarship can be downloaded from the Community Foundation’s website at www.crcfonline.org or picked at the Foundation office at 418 Spring Street, Jamestown. 

 

Since the Southern Chautauqua County Retired Teachers’ Association Scholarship Fund was established, over 20 area students have received awards, totaling over $10,000 in scholarship assistance. Last year alone, $2,500 was awarded to five area students seeking a career in education. This assistance serves as a great seed to help each one of these students start on their path to educating the next generation of students. 

 

If you hope to one day become a teacher, then take advantage of the Southern Chautauqua County Retired Teachers’ Association Scholarship. Again, the deadline for application in March 1^st.  Once all applications have been received, the scholarship committee will review the submissions and complete their selection for awards by April 1^st. Recipients will be notified at the Association’s luncheon meeting held in May.  

 

The Southern Chautauqua County Retired Teachers’ Association Scholarship is the first scholarship offered by the Community Foundation in 2007, but many more opportunities are on the way. Keep your eyes on this column for these upcoming opportunities. However, if you wish to learn more about other Community Foundation scholarships right now, contact the staff at 661-3390, or go to the scholarship section on the Foundation website at www.crcfonline.org. There are many different types of scholarships to investigate, so take the time to see if any fit your needs.