PPB September 2019

PPEF Scholarship Recipients 2019 | FEATURE Making The Grade More than 150 students heading to college this fall can breathe a bit easier thanks to PPEF. by Tina Berres Filipski T he Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF) recently made history by awarding a record-breaking $230,000 in college scholarships this year, exceeding $2 million in total scholarships awarded since the Foundation’s inception in 1989. Scholarships awarded for the 2019-2020 school year include 118 new and 33 renewal scholarships to selected recipients for a total of more than 1,200 scholarships awarded over PPEF’s 30-year history. PPEF is the industry’s nonprofit dedicated to recognizing and encouraging scholastic excellence and academic performance among promotional products industry employees and their college- aged children. The scholarships are made possible through the generous support of individual and company donations (see pages 108-109 for more information). “Education is the foundation for every stage of a person’s life; as a child, through college and on into continued education as an adult,” says PPEF Chair Brian Porter. “At PPEF, our mission is to help propel future generations to achieve their goals, educationally, as they set out on what will be their career path.” Joining him in celebrating this significant milestone is PPEF Chair-Elect Dana Porter, CAS, who says, “Education is one of the most important investments we can make, and who better to invest in than the next generation of our promotional family? Without PPEF helping to fund their education, some students wouldn’t have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.” The cost of a college education has skyrocketed over the years—in many cases outpacing the ability of parents and students to pay for it. The average cost for tuition, fees, room and board can run between $21,370 (in-state fees) and $37,430 (out-of-state fees) per year at a public four-year college and $48,510 at a private nonprofit four-year college, according to College Board’s 2018- 2019 analysis. PPEF’s scholarship awards are determined through a competitive application process. Among the requirements are that applicants must be full-time promotional products industry employees or the dependent children of industry employees; must have a minimumGPA of 3.0 and must meet the deadline of March 15 at midnight PDT. Those being considered for need- based scholarships, must also submit a copy of the Student Aid Report that a student receives after filing with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This year 33 recipients received renewal payments on scholarships awarded in previous years, along with 118 new scholarships awarded: 10 four-year college scholarships for high school seniors, 80 one-year college scholarships for current college students, two Chairman’s Scholarships for career candidates entering their junior year of college and 26 Named Scholarships, including the Friends of PPMN Scholarship for industry employees. “The PPEF Board is grateful for all of the generous donors who made it possible to award 151 scholarships for the 2019-2020 school year,” Dana Porter adds. “We’re part of an amazing industry that loves giving back, which is good because this is just the beginning. Only a small portion of the students who submitted applications were awarded scholarships, so our hope is to continue to grow and be able to help even more students in upcoming years.” | SEPTEMBER 2019 | 81