Scholarship money available for Ventura County students

Applications for scholarships to be awarded to Ventura County students by the Ventura County Community Foundation are now available.

The deadline to submit applications is Friday, Feb. 16.

Students may apply for a maximum of five scholarships. There is no application fee.

A separate, complete application package must be submitted for each scholarship opportunity.

For guidelines and more information, visit. www.vccf.org/ scholarships.

Scholarships are available in majors such as agriculture, arts, business/businessrelated, education/teaching, engineering, math and sciences, and health.

The scholarships include forgivable loans for nursing students intending to practice in Ventura County as well as funds for students directly entering the workforce who need career technical training at local vocational schools.

The foundation will also provide $5,000 scholarships each year for up to four years to students who qualify for the James Basile Scholarship Awards as well as new award programs that support students at local community colleges and Cal State Channel Islands.

This year the foundation's Destino Fund will provide scholarships to Latinos pursuing higher education, with a preference for firstgeneration students. New memorial funds established in the past year will honor residents and family members with awards to local students.

A selection committee established by the foundation reviews the applications and selects recipients.

The committee consists of an appointee of the County of Ventura Superintendent of Schools, an educator from a county secondary school, a representative of a nonprofit organization or a community volunteer, and a representative of the foundation.

Final award approval is the responsibility of the foundation board of directors.

Recipients will be notified by mail by June 1.

The scholarship funds were created by individuals, corporations and organizations at the Ventura County Community Foundation to assist students pursuing higher education. Other scholarship funds included in the $1 million total have selection procedures directly managed through the schools.

These include the Scholarship Fund for Ventura County, the only countywide fund that provides an award at every high school in the county, as well as funds established by donors such as the Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors, which provides scholarships to students at Ventura County community colleges and/or Cal State Channel Islands.

The Ventura County Community Foundation is a family of charitable funds, the combined assets of which now exceed $100 million, with 2006 grants and pledges of $8.5 million.

For more information, visit www.vccf.org.