Heroes of the Heart Scholarships for inspiration operates on a national level for the purpose of identifying inspirational individuals who have made contributions that enrich the lives of others. Two inspirational scholarships are awarded through this program. They are The Gee Whiz Kids Award and The Christopher Reeve Award.
Christopher Reeve scholarships for inspiration
The Christopher Reeve Award is presented on an annual basis to one youth who has demonstrated caring, compassion, and courage in service to his or her community. Recipients will receive a $1,000 scholarship that can be used toward post-secondary education expenses. Recipients of the award will also receive a gift back of books.
The Heart of America Foundation scholarship program partners with Merriam-Webster in sponsoring the Christopher Reeve Award as a way of continuing a long-standing commitment to support students in service to their communities. To be eligible for the Christopher Reeve Award, students must be a high school senior or younger. Applications for this award become available September 1st and are accepted through October 31st.
Gee Whiz Kids scholarships
The Gee Whiz Kids Award is also awarded as part of the Heroes of the Heart Award program as a way of honoring an exemplary student who is age 12 or younger. Recipients of the award represent the best of their communities and schools as the true heart of the country. Each recipient of the award will receive a scholarship that is sponsored by children’s book author Marilyn Perlyn.
Ms. Perlyn is also the creator of the Opportunities for Children to Help Others Project. This project focus on character-building and providing a literary based service-learning program that exposes children to the pleasures of reading while also teaching them that they can help others less fortunate than themselves through reading. Applications for The Gee Whiz Kids Award become available of September 1st of each year and are accepted through October 31st.
About the Heart of America Foundation
The Heart of America Foundation dates back to 1997. The Foundation was originally established with the mission of teaching the values of the heart of the country while helping people learn that when they help others they can help themselves as well. The focus of the Foundation is to provide to children in need by providing the tools to read, succeed, and make a difference.
The Foundation’s goal of promoting literary has become particularly timely as research indicates that as many as 61% of low-income families have no books at all in their homes. Further research has found that children who do not develop basis literary skills by the time they enter school are far more likely to drop out of school later.
Low literary has also been shown to lead to poverty, unemployment, and crime. Studies have now confirmed that the availability of reading materials is one of the strongest predictors of a child’s ability to not only read, but to also succeed in school. In order to combat such problems, the Heart of America Foundation operates a number of early literary programs and other programs that specifically target literary and academic success.
The Heart of America Foundation scholarships recognize inspiration in individuals who have the odds stacked against them and never give up. It’s an excellent award from beginning to end in every way. Don’t let these become unclaimed scholarships for someone you know who may be a perfect fit for them – tell them about it, or apply to it yourself if you fit the scholarship criteria!