Back 2 School Illinois offers scholarships
Back 2 School Illinois (B2SI) is pleased to announce the launch of its 2020 College Scholarship program.
B2SI, a nonprofit organization that creates and supports educational opportunities that enrich the lives of Illinois children, will award $2,500 cash grants to college-bound Illinois high school seniors for their freshman year of study.
The scholarships will be awarded based on each student's academic achievement and financial need, as well as their demonstrated leadership skills in both their school and community.
The application for the B2SI scholarship is available on the Back 2 School Illinois' website, www.b2si.org, and must be completed and postmarked by March 1. Applications must include the student's essay, high school transcript, two letters of recommendation and a brief summary from a community organization detailing the applicant's involvement.
The 2020 scholarships will be provided through the generous funding of the Community Currency Exchange Association of Illinois and the Tufano Family.
"Education is the key to America's future, and these scholarships will help unlock brighter futures for deserving and dedicated students here in Illinois," says Matthew Kurtzman, B2SI CEO.
"Thanks to the generosity of our funders, Back 2 School Illinois has been able to provide 44 scholarships since 2010."
The scholarship awardees will be honored at Back 2 School Illinois' annual fundraising dinner May 7 at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago.
For information, visit www.b2si.org
The Back 2 School program was launched in 2007 by the Community Currency Exchange Association of Illinois to address the pressing needs of communities and the inequities in educational opportunities for children. In 2015, the nonprofit changed its name to Back 2 School Illinois to reflect the work of the organization.
Today, B2SI is the largest free school supplies program in the state, serving children of low-income households and lessening the financial burden for their families. The Back 2 School program has provided more than 255,000 children with their own school supply kit since its inception.
The organization's long-term goal is to provide the more than one million Illinois children from low-income families each year with the school supplies they need to succeed in the classroom.