Beginning fall 2011, all of Washington’s 281 cities and towns can recruit scholarship applicants. Each jurisdiction can nominate one scholarship applicant to the Center for Quality Communities.

 

How do you select and nominate?

Cities are important partners in the selection process.  Here’s how you do your part:

• Each city decides how it wants to select a local nominee. It can be competitive,   and open to the community at large. You can recruit from active city volunteers.   Or you can solicit applications from your local schools. You can limit your   applications to city residents only.

• Publicize the scholarship.

• Collect your completed scholarship application forms.

• Select one candidate to nominate using the Center's ranking sheet.

• Write an endorsement letter for the nominee.

• Send the city's selection with the student's application materials and your endoresement letter by March 15, 2012 to:       AWC Center for Quality Communities Scholarship Fund       1076 Franklin St. SE       Olympia, WA 98501-1346

Some tips to help you with your
community’s scholarship process

 

Organize. 

Review the Center for Quality Communities scholarship information. Identify a city contact who will receive the scholarship applications. Set an application deadline for your city to receive its applications.

 

Criteria and eligibility.

Each city can decide its eligibility requirements.  Some criteria to consider:

• Is the scholarship limited to students living within city limits?

• Is the scholarship limited to active volunteers in city programs?   Or does it extend to school and other community activities?

• Do you want to partner with your local schools or service organizations   to publicize the scholarship and recruit applicants?

Outreach. 

How do you want to spread the word?

If you’re doing a community-wide recruitment:

• Post on your website.

• Include in city publications.

• Send to your community newspaper.

• Post in city hall, the library, the community center.

• Announce at community meetings and service clubs.

If you’re recruiting only from city volunteers:

• Post in city hall.
• Advertise with city staff who work with student volunteers.
• Send information to student volunteers.
• Personally recruit student volunteers.

If you’re working directly with the high school

• Send scholarship information to the high school career offices.
• Let the school newspaper help publicize the scholarship.

Nominations.

Get your team organized.

• Name a selection committee to review the applications and name a   scholarship nominee.
• Go over the eligibility and ranking criteria before reviewing applications.

Select a nominee. 

Now comes the fun part.

• Using your eligibility and ranking criteria select one student to nominate.

• Write an endorsement letter.

• Send the student application and endorsement letter to AWC Center for   Quality Communities by March 15, 2012.