CLEVELAND, February 19 — Each year, the BLET National Division compiles a list of scholarship opportunities available to the children of BLET members. Numerous financial aid opportunities are published here in the 2010 BLET Scholarship Directory.
The scholarship opportunities vary widely. The following comprehensive list provides members with contact information for each scholarship opportunity. The BLET National Division does not maintain its own scholarship program, so parties are advised to contact the individual scholarship providers listed below for additional information.
Those aware of additional scholarship opportunities not included in this Directory are urged to contact the BLET Public Relations Department at: Bentley@ble-t.org.
(BLET Editor’s Note: Eligibility for regional meeting scholarships is determined by the location of the BLET Division a member belongs to. For example, if an applicant lives in Kentucky but the BLET member belongs to a division in Ohio, then the applicant is eligible to apply for an Eastern Union Meeting Association scholarship.)
The 2010 BLET Scholarship Directory is as follows:
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James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund
The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund awards scholarships annually to outstanding high school seniors, and 100 scholarships will be awarded during the upcoming 2010-2011 school year.
Applicants compete in one of the five geographic regions where the Teamster parent/grandparent’s Local Union is located. The Teamsters will award 31 scholarships that total $10,000 each ($2,500 a year over four years) and an additional 69 awards that are one-time grants of $1,000 each.
This year’s program is open to high school seniors graduating in 2010, who plan to attend a four-year college in the fall of 2010. The applicant should:
• Rank in the top 15 percent of their high school class;
• Have, or expect to have, excellent SAT or ACT scores; and
• demonstrate financial need.
The applicant must be a son, daughter or grandchild of a Teamster member who has been in good standing during the 12 consecutive months preceding the application deadline of March 31, 2010.
Due to the highly competitive nature of the program and the large number of applicants, students should visit the Teamster website carefully consider the criteria before submitting an application.
Applications are available from all IBT and GCC Local Unions, the BLET National Division website and BMWED System Federations.
Applications must be received by the Scholarship Fund by March 31, 2010.
For more details, please contact:
James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund
IBT Headquarters
25 Louisiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 624-8735
Email: scholarship@teamster.org
Teamsters online scholarship info:
http://www.teamster.org/content/scholarships
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BLET Auxiliary and International Western Convention (IWC) Scholarships
The BLET Auxiliary and International Western Convention (IWC) offers $1,000 scholarships annually to help the children of BLET and Auxiliary members realize their goals in life.
This year we have two additional scholarships to award to children of members of both the Auxiliary and BLET, the Leona A. Louis Memorial Scholarship and the John O. and Brenda Casteel Scholarship.
There are two very strict guidelines that must be met in order to be eligible for Auxiliary scholarships. First, the applicant must be a son or daughter of both an Auxiliary and BLET member (living or deceased), with each being a member for two years. Second, the applicant must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited university or college.
In addition to its own scholarship program, the Auxiliary is administering three scholarships for the International Western Convention (IWC) for calendar year 2010.
This joint scholarship program is for children of members participating in the IWC and covers Divisions, Auxiliaries and Members-at-Large in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Auxiliary membership is not a requirement to apply for the two separate IWC scholarships. If applicants are not awarded one of these scholarships and a parent is not a member of the Auxiliary, then they are not considered eligible for any Auxiliary scholarships.
If the applicant is a graduate student or returning to school as a sophomore, junior or senior, he or she must have a 3.0 grade point average or better to be considered. The applicant must also be accepted to an accredited school. The deadline for all Auxiliary administered scholarships is April 1, 2010. Late applications will not be considered.
Auxiliary application forms are online at: http://www.bletauxiliary.net, or you can link from the BLET Website under “Departments.” In addition to the application, the Auxiliary website provides scholarship applicants with more detailed instructions on the application process.
Please remember that the applicant’s parents must be a member of the BLET and Auxiliary in order to apply for one of our scholarships. If your parent belongs to the Southeastern Meeting Association (SMA), Eastern Union Meeting (EUMA) or the Southwestern Convention Meeting (SWCM) and they are not a member of the BLET Auxiliary, you are not eligible to apply for any BLET Auxiliary scholarships. However, Auxiliary membership is not a requirement to apply for the three separate IWC scholarships detailed above.
Mail completed forms to: Anita J. Caruso, National Secretary, 3341 S. 112th Street, Omaha, NE 68144-4709. For details or clarification of eligibility, email Sister Caruso at: Bunziegia@cox.net.
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Brotherhood’s Relief and Compensation Fund
The Brotherhood’s Relief and Compensation Fund is pleased to provide opportunities for the sons and daughters of BR&CF members to participate in the Luther G. Smith Scholarship Program.
Children, including adopted and step-children, of BR&CF members who are in “Good and Regular Standing.” Applicants must be 27 years of age or younger. Applicants may be current high school students who have applied for admission as full-time students in accredited post-secondary schools or may be attending or enrolled as full-time students in accredited post-secondary schools.
International President J.M. Robb advises that 20 scholarships of $1,000 each are awarded every year.
BR&CF members with questions may contact Nita Saultz at (800) 233-7080. Members may obtain an application form by calling or writing to 2150 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17110 or emailing brcf@brcf.org. The deadline for receipt of applications is March 1, 2010.
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Eastern Union Meeting Association (EUMA)
The Eastern Union Meeting Association awards several scholarship each year, ranging in value from $1,000 to $2,000, including memorial scholarships honoring the memories and accomplishments of Brothers Robert F. Donoghue, Robert W. Godwin and Robert Pentland. The scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence and financial need. Only children of BLET members (living or deceased) belonging to divisions participating in the EUMA are eligible to apply. Division must be square on the books for the child to qualify. States represented in EUMA are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.
The 2010 EUMA deadline is July 10, 2010. Send completed applications to:
Jim Louis, EUMA Vice Chairman
257 Forbes Ave.
Tonawanda, NY 14150
Applications are available on the BLET website:
https://www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/eumasch.pdf
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Southwestern Convention Meeting (SWCM)
The Southwestern Convention Meeting (SWCM) awards approximately two dozen scholarships annually based on academic achievement and financial need.
Applicants must be the child of an active, retired or deceased BLET member whose division belongs to the Southwestern Convention Meeting. Applicants must be accepted for admission to an accredited college, university or institution of higher learning. Only divisions belonging to the SWCM are eligible.
SWCM application forms can be filled out on your computer screen with the interactive PDF form available on the BLET website. Deadline is August 1, 2010. The 2010 convention begins on September 12. Divisions must have paid their annual SWCM convention dues for applicants from their Division to be eligible.
Click here to download interactive PDF application form:
https://www.ble-t.org/pdf/swcmapp.pdf
Click here for application instructions:
https://www.ble-t.org/pr/swcmsch.asp
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Southeastern Meeting Association (SMA)
The Southeastern Meeting Association (SMA) Scholarship Committee awards the Geiger-Brendle Scholarships each year to the children of active or retired BLET members whose divisions participate in the SMA.
Please check with your division secretary-treasurer to ensure that your division participates. In general, the SMA includes divisions located in states east of the Mississippi River, and south of the Ohio River and the Mason-Dixon Line. Also, Divisions must be current with their SMA dues in order for the applicant to be eligible.
The SMA scholarship application deadline varies from year to year, and winners are usually selected and announced at the SMA’s annual business meeting held during the convention. This year’s SMA will be June 13-18. Please see your division officers for an application or for more details. Deadline this year is June 9, 2010. Applications are also on the BLET website at:
https://www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/sma2010scholars.pdf
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Our Brothers Keeper Foundation (OBKF)
Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, a new scholarship opportunity is available to family members of seriously injured railroad workers from the Our Brothers Keeper Foundation (OBKF).
OBKF is planning to award four $1,000 scholarships in 2010 to family members of seriously injured railroad workers. One winner will be awarded a scholarship from each of the four geographic regions represented by the BLET regional meetings — Eastern Union Meeting Association, Southeastern Meeting Association, International Western Convention, and Southwestern Convention Meeting.
OBKF is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that provides consultation, referral and financial assistance to aid employees of the railroad industry and their families in times of hardship arising from accidents and injuries that occur within the scope of the worker’s railroad employment.
In 2006, the last year for which complete statistics are available, Class I railroads reported almost 300 Category I & II casualties. These are on-the-job deaths or injuries so serious that they frequently result in permanent disabilities to railroad workers. These workers and their families are often left without the resources needed to cover everyday living expenses, much less provide tuition for family members who need, or would like, to further their education. OBKF is hoping to assist these families realize the goal of achieving higher education.
In terms of basic eligibility requirements, applicants must:
• Be a spouse, daughter or son of a seriously injured railroad worker;
• Complete all sections of the application form and mail it to the designated address, no less than thirty (30) days prior to starting date for the BLET Regional Meeting territory in which the injured worker is employed; and
• Provide all supporting documents required by the application form, including proof of enrollment in an accredited college, technical, or trade school.
Additional information is provided on the application form, which is available on the BLET’s web site.
The deadline for each scholarship is 30 days prior to the start of the BLET regional meetings:
• Southeastern Meeting Association (SMA) begins June 13, and the OBKF deadline is May 13;
• International Western Convention (IWC) begins July 13, and the OBKF deadline is June 13;
• Eastern Union Meeting Association (EUMA) begins August 8, and the OBKF deadline is July 8; and
• Southwestern Convention Meeting (SWCM) begins September 12, and the OBKF deadline is August 12.
Since the majority of the support for OBKF’s outreach efforts currently comes from engineers and train service employees, family members of these crafts will be given preference. All scholarship applications will be carefully reviewed. Scholarship awards are to be based on need and fulfillment of applicant requirements.
A copy of the OBKF application form is available here:
https://www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/OBKFscholarship2008.pdf
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California State Legislative Board
The BLET’s California State Legislative Board offers at least one scholarship each year to a graduating senior who will attend college, trade or vocational school in the coming year.
The applicant’s parent or guardian must be a BLET member in good standing and in a Division represented by the California State Legislative Board.
Last year, the Board awarded two $1,000 scholarships. Applications and deadline information are available on the Board’s website:
http://www.calslb.net.
All applications should be mailed to the CSLB home office address:
California State Legislative Board, BLET/IBT
610 Auburn Ravine Rd., Suite C
Auburn, CA 95603
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BLET Division 269
BLET Division 269 (Jamaica, Long Island, N.Y.) offers two $500 scholarships to the children of BLET members who are already enrolled in college. Participation is limited to members of Division 269 only.
Winners are picked at random at the division’s Christmas party. For details, watch your Division 269 newsletter or contact Division President Scott Decker at (516) 932-7130.