Informational sessions to be held Nov. 13, 20
CAMARILLO — The Ventura County Community Foundation is accepting applications for more than $1.2 million in scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year, the organization reported Tuesday in a media release.
Applying for a scholarship at VCCF is a two-step process with an online and paper component. An applicant must preregister on vccf.org/scholarship before 5 p.m. Jan. 8, 2014. The application then must be printed, completed, signed and received at the VCCF offices by 5 p.m. Jan. 10, 2014.
This year, 455 scholarships are available to students from nearly 100 different funds with criteria ranging from academic major, sports participation and career field.
For the first time, VCCF has categorized scholarships to help students find those related to their career paths. Students then are encouraged to examine the criteria for these scholarships to see if they would qualify.
Three new scholarships have entered the fold this year.
Southern California high school graduates interested in pursuing a career as an electrical line worker can apply for the Brandon T. Michel Scholarship. Established by Sandy Masiel in memory of her son, this $500 scholarship requires an essay asking what inspired the applicant’s interest in becoming a line worker.
After their son passed away in April, Scott and Michelle Heaton established the Sean Stephen Harris Memorial Scholarship in his honor. Using Harris’ college fund, the scholarship will award $5,000 each to two graduating Adolfo Camarillo High School students. Harris would have graduated with his ACHS classmates in June 2014.
To celebrate VCCF’s silver anniversary, the community foundation hosted a celebration in June with proceeds endowing the 25th Anniversary Scholarship Fund. This $1,000 award benefits those pursuing graduate-level studies.
“To celebrate our 25th anniversary, the community foundation wanted to invest in the future of Ventura County and what better way than to support our youth,” VCCF President and CEO Hugh J. Ralston stated in the release. “Graduate scholarships are few and far between, and we are pleased to support students pursuing post-graduate work, an increasingly important tool for success in today’s globalized economy.”
Program Officer Virginia Weber will present informational sessions at Moorpark College on Nov. 13 from noon to 1:30 p.m. and on Nov. 20 from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Campus Center Conference Room to assist students with the application process.
VCCF offers an online questionnaire to determine if applicants are eligible for a scholarship based on the criteria set by the donors who established each scholarship fund.
“We have found the online survey to be very valuable for applicants,” Ralston said. “The most frequent error students make is applying for scholarships for which they are ineligible.”
Since the implementation of this online survey in 2010, VCCF has seen the number of ineligible applications decrease every year, Ralston said.
The community foundation has awarded more than $9.6 million in scholarships since its founding in 1987 and is the local leader in granting financial aid to Ventura County youth.
To start the scholarship process, applicants should go online to vccf.org/scholarship. Click on the link to complete the screening questionnaire, register and apply. Applications can be hand-delivered or mailed to the VCCF offices at 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd., Suite A, Camarillo, CA 93012.
To view VCCF’s 2014 Scholarship Guidelines, go to vccf.org/scholarship. Follow the program on facebook.com/VCCFScholarships.
About VCCF:
VCCF invests the charitable capital that drives the philanthropic engines of Ventura County. Its portfolio performance ranks in the top 11 of all community foundations in the United States for long-term growth. With total assets of nearly $126 million, as of June 30, its mission is to promote and enable philanthropy to improve our community for good for ever, which it does through grantmaking, scholarships and training at its Center for Nonprofit Leadership. It owns the VCCF Nonprofit Center in Camarillo — a place where nonprofits and the community can come together to work together. Visit vccf.org or call 805-988-0196 for more information.