Changing lives, one scholarship at a time

During the 2019–2020 academic year, the Central Penn College Education Foundation awarded more $243,000 to 288 Central Penn students. “We are pleased to be able to assist so many worthy students, and we look forward to doing, even more, this academic year,” said Sandy Box, director of the Education Foundation.

“In the age of COVID, students are facing increased expenses, so our mission is more critical than ever,” said Box. “These scholarships can mean the difference between students finishing their degree or dropping out.”

Box shared a letter from a recent scholarship recipient: 

“Last week. I was stressing about so many things… general household bills, college tuition, husband looking at a layoff…

“My admissions counselor had just emailed me on Friday a reminder that I needed to pay my tuition or set up payments. I knew that today was the deadline. I sat down at my laptop at midnight and pulled up my account. I was going to ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ when I discovered that my account had a zero balance…

“I was just awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Education Foundation, which cleared my balance due. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. It literally brought me to tears. Happy tears.”

Making a Difference

The nonprofit Education Foundation has distributed more than $2 million in scholarships to over 2,300 students since being founded in 2004. More than 80% of Central Penn employees contribute annually to the foundation.

Students can apply for scholarships in August and February; awards are then given in the fall and spring terms, respectively.

“We are thankful for our many generous donors who are making a profound difference in the lives of our students,” said Box.

If you’re interested in making a new or additional donation, go here.