(Canton, OH) January 8, 2020 – United Way of Greater Stark County’s Young Leaders Society (YLS) is now accepting applications for their textbook scholarship. The scholarship recipients are eligible to receive a total of $4,000 ($1,000 per year) to offset the cost of books, which is typically not covered by other scholarships.
In 2018, YLS began this scholarship fund to help ease some of the stress of paying for college. Requirements for the applicant include: high school senior attending a Stark County school district, first member of their family to pursue a four-year college degree and accumulated grade point average of 2.75 or better on a 4.00 scale (or equivalent by the demonstration of proficiency on all required state standards. The application, along with a personal reference letter and official high school transcript must be submitted by the deadline of Friday, March 6, 2020.
Members of YLS work to educate, engage and inspire individuals across Greater Stark County. They harness their time and talents through mentorship, fundraising and volunteerism to activate education initiatives and build a better community.
“Education is such an important part to jump starting your future. As young leaders, we all remember the important people and moments throughout our educational journey that helped us get to where we are today,” said Laura Prengaman, United Way of Greater Stark County Director of Corporate and Volunteer Engagement. “We want to be there for the next generation of young professionals to help guide and show them their community cares.”
In addition to the scholarship, YLS works on several education focused initiatives throughout the year. In 2019, the group sponsored four Tiny Libraries throughout Stark County, renovated a library space at JRC Learning Center to engage children and their families, as well as gifted 115 local high school seniors with a college hoodie and alumni letter to motivate them as they begin their college journey.
“Our hope is to not only encourage Stark County students to get the most out of their education, but also to see how much the county has to offer them,” said Molly McDougal, YLS Steering Committee Chair. “We would love to see individuals that were impacted by one of our programs come back as a member in the future to help continue our efforts.”
Students interested in applying should visit www.uwstark.org/book-scholarship to submit their application by Friday, March 6, 2020. Recipients will be announced by mid-April.
About Young Leaders Society
United Way’s Young Leaders Society is a group of passionate young
professionals who come together to educate, engage and inspire individuals
across Greater Stark County. They harness their time and talents through
mentorship, fundraising and volunteerism to activate education initiatives and
build a better community. Education
sets the foundation for the future, and it is the area where they believe they
can make the greatest impact. As young leaders, their personal and professional
success would not have been possible without support from mentors, teachers and
advocates who helped along the way. Now they’re paying it forward for the next
generation. More information is available at www.uwstark.org/young-leaders-society .
About
United Way of Greater Stark County
United
Way of Greater Stark County fights for the health, education and financial stability
of every person in every community. We win by living United. By forging
unlikely partnerships. By finding new solutions to old problems. By mobilizing
the best resources. And by inspiring individuals to join the fight against
their community’s most daunting social crisis. Our mission is to improve lives
by mobilizing the caring power of our communities in Greater Stark County. In
order to live better, we must live United. For more information about United
Way of Greater Stark County visit www.uwstark.org . Offices are at
401 Market Avenue North, Suite 300, Canton, Ohio 44702. (330) 491-0445.