October 2009 --
The Scholarships for Military Children Program was created in recognition of the
contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. A scholarship, funded through outside contributions, will be awarded annually at each commissary operated by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). The Fisher House Foundation continues to serve as the program administrator and will contract again this year with Scholarship Managers, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to evaluate the program's applications. Since the inception of the program in 2000, over $7.3 million in scholarships have been awarded to 4,757 military dependents from more than 51,000 applicants.
The following program guidelines and application procedures are provided:
a. Scholarship awards will be based on funds available, but we anticipate individual
awards of at least $1,500. If there are no eligible applicants from a particular commissary, the funds designated for that commissary will be awarded as an additional scholarship at another installation.
b. Only children of active duty, reserve/guard, or retired military personnel may apply
for a scholarship under this program. Eligibility will bc dctennined by Scholarship Managers; it is not the responsibility of store personnel to monitor eligibility. Scholarship Managcrs will screen the completed applications, not DeCA or Fisher House. Students with questions regarding the application should contact Scholarship Managers directly at (856) 616-9311 or
militaryscholar@scholarshipmanagers.com.
c. Attachment I is the application that will be available as a PDF file at
www.militaryscholar.org orat Public Foldcrs/Store Library/Scholarships for Military
Children/201O Program on November 3, 2009. Attachment 2 is the 2010 frequently asked questions and answers document, to be provided to applicants when they pick up their application. A press release and flyer to publicize the program are available on public folders. Please make use of any additional military media outlets (e.g., TV, bulletin boards) to attract interest and applications from qualified applicants. Completed applications must be returned to the commissary's customer service or administrative officc between November 3, 2009, and February 17, 2010, in person, by mail, or by other delivery services (e.g., FedEx, UPS). Applications may not be taxed or e-mailed to the store. Completed applications must be in the store by close of business February 17,2010, A February 17 or earlier postmark on those applications mailed to the store is not acceptable if received after February 17, 2010.
d. Attachment 3 is the applicant log sheet, which must be used. Commissaries should
keep a temporary copy of the log sheet in the event that applications are lost during forwarding. Log sheets should contain phone numbers for applicants and will become essential when you try to make contact with your recipients. Store personnel must not provide students with an unfair advantage by indicating how many applications they have received or by offering advice on the ""best" place to file. Students tiling multiple applications will be disqualified from consideration for any scholarship under this program.
e. Please ensure all applications are maintained in a safe location until forwarded. No
later than Friday, February 19, 2010, each commissary is to consolidate all scholarship
applications received as well as a copy of the log sheet and forward the entire package to Mr. Bernard T. Cote, Scholarship Managers, 307 Provincetown Road, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08034-3653. It is imperative the store DODAAC be filled in on page 1 of each application and indicated on the front of the package. Scholarship Managers is setting up their reference files and awards based on the store's DODAAC. A store director who manages multiple commissary locations may not consolidate those locations into one envelope. A reliable shipping system for tracking purposes must be used. US Postal Service Priority Mail with tracking, FedEx, UPS, DHL, or other similar types of delivery are preferred. Registered and certified mail should not be used unless all other methods arc unavailable, as these methods tend to delay receipt to the evaluator. Each store is to forward all of their scholarship applications one time only. Do not forward them as you recei ve them.
f. During the final certification process, Scholarship Managers will notify recipients of
their selection. This notification will be prior to the store director's notification, which will be on or about May 3, 2010. Results will be posted on the scholarship Web site at
www.militaryscholar.org on or about May 15, 2010.
See attached forms and information.