Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner Honors Fallen Police, Firefighters, and Public Employees
July 15, 2008
The Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund honored 40 surviving children and spouses of fallen firefighters, police officers and other public sector workers with higher education scholarships at an awards dinner held on July 14 at Union Station in Washington, DC. The scholarships are for the 2008/09 school year.
The scholarships were presented by Joan McCallen, president of the Scholarship Fund and president and CEO of ICMA-RC. She was joined by WMATA General Manager John Catoe, Jr., and Ron Siarnicki, Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Siarnicki gave the keynote address.
Chief Siarnicki emphasized that the scholarship dinner was as much about their parents and spouses as about the students: "I urge you to do your very best in school, for you represent our future. It is my sincere hope that you will find ways to use your education and talents to serve your communities just as your loved ones did."
Among the award recipients is Lillian Cherry, of Clinton, MD. She will return as a sophomore this year to the Art Institute of Washington where she is pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts. Lillian plans to start her own catering business after graduation. Her father, Leslie Cherry, was a track worker who was killed while working for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
This year's award recipients, who come from 19 states, were invited to participate in a tour of Washington, DC on July 14 that included a trip to DC's Fire Engine Company 3 museum and memorial and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Many of the recipients were visiting Washington for the first time.
Established in 2001 by ICMA-RC and its Board of Directors, the Scholarship Fund honors the lives of the nation's police officers, firefighters and other state and local government employees who have died in the line of duty. Since its inception, the Fund has awarded over 200 scholarships totaling more than $600,000.
Scholarship applicants are eligible for selection if they are the child or spouse of a local or state government employee who has died in the line of duty, and are planning to study full-time at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school. Applicants are also selected based on other factors including academic record, demonstrated leadership in school and community activities, honors, work experience and personal or family circumstances. Financial need is also considered. Scholarships are accepted annually from Dec. 15 - March 15.
The Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund is made possible in part through the generosity of contributing donors.
Additional Information
About ICMA-RC
ICMA-RC is an independent not-for-profit corporation focused on providing retirement plans and related services for over 800,000 public employees in over 8,000 retirement plans. Consistent with its mission, ICMA-RC provides administrative, investment, education, and other retirement-related services exclusively to state and local government employees. For more information visit www.icmarc.org/.
Contact: Milly Stanges, ICMA-RC 202-682-5290, mstanges@icmarc.org