For Immediate Release

Contact:
Carrie Blewitt, Qorvis Communications, 703-744-7816

The Horatio Alger Association Opens Application for 2008 National & State Scholarships

Association Scholarship Fund Awards More Than $12 Million

(August 9, 2007 – Washington, DC) -- In time for the back to school season, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. announced today that it has opened the 2008 National and State Scholarship Application.  High school students from across the country are encouraged to apply now through October 30, 2007 for the opportunity to gain financial assistance with obtaining a college degree, and thus a brighter future.  Applications can be found at http://www.horatioalger.org/scholarships.

The Horatio Alger Association annually awards more than $12 million in college scholarships to American high school students and military veterans.

“As our scholarship fund continues to grow, we are proud to be the unique source of prestigious college scholarships in America, and will remain a vital center of higher education for those overcoming adversity,” said Horatio Alger Association Chairman Dennis R. Washington. “For 60 years, the Association has been proud to offer opportunity for determined and talented students who have overcome many life challenges.”

The Association has become one of the largest need-based scholarship programs in the country.  The scholarships are awarded to students who have demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity and hardships in their lives while demonstrating strength of character, strong academics, commitment to pursue a college education and desire to contribute to society. 

Students from all 50 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are encouraged to apply for the National Scholarship Programs.  In 2007, the Association awarded $20,000 to 105 scholarship recipients. The State Scholarship Programs are sponsored by Horatio Alger Members and friends of the Association in select states, with the goal to create programs in all 50 states.  In 2007, the program awarded over 1,200 state scholarships, and each provides financial assistance ranging from $2,500 to $10,500.

About The Horatio Alger Association
This year, the Horatio Alger Association is celebrating 60 years. Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. Among the Association’s 600 members are well-known Americans including the noted poet, author and professor Maya Angelou, television personality Oprah Winfrey, General Surgeon and Professor of Surgery at Meharry Medical College Dorothy L. Brown, professor and Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute Benjamin S. Carson, President of Chapman University James L. Doti, President, and CEO of Vesalius Ventures Bernard Harris.

The Horatio Alger Association offers three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program and various state scholarship programs for high school seniors and the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship Program for U.S. veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. For more information about the scholarships, please visit www.horatioalger.org

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