Fort Huachuca, Arizona - Resident Scholarships for 2016 are available to assist people living in Michaels Military Housing properties who plan to pursue higher education in the 2016/17 school year in college, or at a trade or professional school or institute, according to Mountain Vista Communities (MVC) which manages on-post housing.
Since 2009, the Michaels Organization Educational Foundation has awarded 44 Fort Huachuca resident scholars a total of $138,100 and is looking to add new recipients to its ranks.
"The Michaels Organization is a strong believer in education," said Jolene Cooper, MVC marketing outreach coordinator. Cooper stated that scholarships range from $500 to $5,000. "Last year, here on Fort Huachuca, there were 16 applicants. We awarded 14 scholarships which averaged $3,000 apiece." She said scholarship funding is provided through donations by Michaels' vendors and employees; then matched by founder Michael and Patricia Levitt $2 for every dollar raised by the Foundation.
Eligible applicants should be high school seniors or graduates pursuing a higher level of education for the 2016/2017 academic year. The scholarships are not only limited to youth, Cooper explained. Military spouses are also eligible. "You can be any age to apply as long as you are pursuing an upper-level degree," she said. Former recipients are also invited to reapply.
"We had one Family that was here for three years," Cooper explained. "A mother and her son were awarded scholarships twice. That's four scholarships to the same Family within three years," she said. "The scholarships are an added benefit to living in on-post housing."
There are four essential parts of the scholarship application, and all must be received in order for the Michaels Organization Educational Foundation to consider accepting an application, according to a foundation memo released Feb. 5 on Fort Huachuca.
"One of the applicants who did not receive a scholarship did not submit letters of reference, making their application incomplete," Cooper said. "Letters don't have to come from teachers. They can be issued by church pastors, employers, or representatives of an organization a person volunteers for," she explained. She stressed the importance of submitting complete application packets and ensuring the packets reach the corporate office in New Jersey before the due date.
All applications must be received by the Michaels Organization home office in New Jersey by April 15. They must be mailed to: Dr. Bruce W. Johnson, The Michaels Organization, 3 East Stow Road, Suite 100, P.O. Box 994, Marlton, NJ 08053-0994. Do not submit an application to the Fort Huachuca Mountain Vista Communities Housing Office or mail it on April 15.
The Michaels Organization Educational Foundation is a privately funded, non-profit educational organization created in February 1991 to assist high school graduates living in Michaels properties throughout the nation. In its first 25 years, the Foundation awarded in excess of $4,500,000 to more than 2,100 students throughout the country. This is one of the few foundations of its kind in the nation, according to the memo.
This year, in June, the Michaels Organization Educational Foundation plans to award scholarship grants totaling at least $225,000 to students living in Michaels properties throughout the country.
For more information about the scholarship, to view success videos of past scholarship awardees or to obtain an application, visit the Michaels Organization website, themichaelsorg.com.
To obtain information locally, call the MVC marketing outreach coordinator at 520.895.4058.
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