PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release Jan 10, 2019
827 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Phone: 808-537-6333 Fax: 808-521-6286 HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Cat Howland Hawaii Community Foundation (808) 566-5569 (Office) (808) 260-5001 (Mobile) chowland@hcf-hawaii.org
ONLINE SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS EASES “APPLICATION FATIGUE” HONOLULU, HI — High school seniors and current college students are familiar with the seemingly endless requirements for forms, applications and letters of recommendation. Thankfully, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s (HCF) online scholarship application submits each student’s single application to over 250 different scholarships through the HCF website: HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org “Every year we have around 1200 students who receive scholarships from our funds at HCF, and many students receive multiple scholarships,” said Tara Shibuya, Senior Scholarship Officer at HCF. “Because our system automatically matches an application to our scholarships, past awardees have received thousands of tuition dollars that would otherwise have been left on the table.” HCF, the state’s leading philanthropic institute, began accepting online applications for the 2019 – 2020 scholarship season on October 1, 2018. As the third largest private provider of scholarships in the state, HCF offers thousands of opportunities for students to pursue their dreams of receiving a post-secondary education. In 2018, more than $6 million was distributed to over 1200 students. Taylor Gabriel-Remigio, who recently received the Frances Katsuda Bean Waianae High School Scholarship at HCF, expressed the impact of her scholarships this way, “My biggest fear when I began college was graduating with debt. I come from a single-parent home and my mom and I lived paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet.” She added, “I’ve received over $20,000 in scholarships since I began attending college and every dollar helps—not just financially—each scholarship shows me that people believe in me and that anything is possible.” “More and more people are pursuing a post-secondary education, even in the face of the rising cost of attending college,” added Shibuya. “Thanks to the generosity of individuals, families and businesses in our community, Hawai‘i’s students have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals, whether it’s at a college, university or community college, and receive much needed financial support.” To donate to HCF’s Community Scholarship Fund or to establish a scholarship, contact Eric La‘a at elaa@hcf-hawaii.org
To apply for a scholarship for the 2019 – 2020 academic year, students just need to submit HCF’s Common Application by Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 4 p.m. Hawai‘i Standard Time (HST). Please visit www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/scholarships to apply or for more information on the application process. ### About Hawai‘i Community Foundation With over 100 years of community service, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) is the leading philanthropic institution in the state. HCF is a steward of more than 850 funds, including more than 250 scholarship funds, created by donors who desire to transform lives and improve communities. In 2017, HCF distributed more than $59 million in grants and contracts statewide, including more than $6 million in scholarships. HCF also serves as a resource on community issues and trends in the nonprofit sector.