The SEE THE FUTURE Fund 2009 Application

"Education for Life"

The SEE THE FUTURE Fund is pleased to award scholarships to qualified visually impaired and blind students who are Colorado residents. This scholarship fund is made possible through generous donations by ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, staff, corporations, educators, foundations and many others with an interest in the lives of the visually impaired and blind. All scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, school and community service, and individual need.

AMOUNT: Scholarships totaling up to $42,000 may be awarded. Probable distribution will be one (1) $12,000 four year scholarship, one (1) $10,000 four year scholarship, one (1) $8,000 four year scholarship, and three (3) $4,000 two year scholarships. The Selection Committee will determine the final number of scholarships awarded and the amount of each scholarship.  In addition to the above scholarships, the SEE THE FUTURE Fund has partnered with the Kane Family Foundation to provide two additional scholarships.

Full-Ride Tuition Scholarship: Kane - SEE THE FUTURE Scholarships
History of the Kane Family Foundation

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:
Any Colorado resident * who submits a completed application prior to the March 1, 2009 deadline, and meets the following criteria:

^{* For STF purposes, a Colorado resident is one who has lived in Colorado as a dependant at least one year prior to March 1,2009 (March 2, 2008 – March 1, 2009); or has held a valid Colorado ID for at least one full year prior to March 1, 2009 (March 2, 2008 – March 1, 2009).}

Educational Criteria:
Applicant must be enrolled as a full time student (12 credit hours or more) in one of the following:
1. an entering freshman in an academic post-secondary program 
2. an undergraduate (sophomore, junior or senior) in an academic, post-secondary program 
3. a graduate student in an academic program
4. a vocational/technical school student or student who is pursuing an associate's degree from a community college 

Applicants must also meet the following Vision Loss Criteria:
20/70 or less, central vision, best corrected, in better eye,
and/or
20 degree peripheral field or less in better eye
or
20/40 or less, best corrected, in better eye, and associated field loss with a prognosis of further vision loss secondary to underlying disease process.

Application deadline:
All applications must be postmarked on or before March 1, 2009. The selections will be made by April 15, 2006. 

Selection process:
The SEE THE FUTURE Fund screening committee will review all applications. The entire selection committee will review top candidates. Individual interviews may be arranged and will be determined based on an individual basis.

Presentation of Scholarship Awards:
The scholarships will be awarded at The SEE THE FUTURE Fund Celebration Dinner in late May or early June 2009, in Colorado Springs. Award winners are strongly encouraged to attend.

Scholarship Distribution:
The scholarship award will be divided over the duration of the student's post-secondary career (two or four years) and all scholarship moneys will be sent directly to the post-secondary institution on a semester basis. The student must be enrolled full time (12 credit hours) and in good standing to receive future money. The award may be used toward tuition, fees, room & board and books. If a recipient does not use a portion of their award within one year from selection, their award will be forfeited. 


To apply, please complete this application form (typewritten or printed legibly) and send, along with required attachments to:

The SEE THE FUTURE Fund
P.O. Box 63022
Colorado Springs, CO 80962-3022
You may fax applications or questions to: 719-471-3210

* MUST BE POSTMARKED OR RECEIVED BY March 1, 2009

Name: _______________________________Date:__________________

Home address: _______________________________________________

City: ____________________________ State: _______ Zip: _________

Home Phone: __________________School Phone: __________________

Name of high school: ___________________Graduation date: _________

Email Address: _______________________________________________

School address: _______________________________________________

City: _______________________________ State: ________ Zip: ______

Cumulative high school grade point average: __________

Cumulative grade point average of school currently attending: _________
(if different than high school)

Have you been accepted to a college or university:  Yes           No

If yes:

Name of College: ______________________ Stated Major: ____________ 

College address:_______________________________________________

City: _______________________________ State: ________ Zip: ______

Desired Degree: ______________________________________________

Vocational goal:_______________________________________________

If NO, please explain:___________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

This application can be made available in Braille upon request.

Please enclose the following information:

* All materials submitted must be typewritten or printed legibly

1. Completed application form

2. Autobiographical summary. No longer than two double-spaced pages. Please include the following in this order:

A. Field of study, and why? 

B. Personal goals

C. Achievements, honors, hobbies, leadership qualities

D. School activities beyond academics (music, art, sports, drama, etc.)

E. Orientation / mobility and independent living skill abilities and strategies to achieve independence in a college environment

F. Adaptive equipment and media used (large print, Braille, recordings, CCTV, computers, magnifiers, etc.) 

G. Strategies to succeed in college with vision loss 

3. A paragraph stating your financial need including information on any scholarships or grants you are, or will be receiving 

4. Transcripts and ACT and/or SAT scores from the school you are currently attending or have most recently attended

5. A letter of recommendation from EACH of the following: 
     1. current or recent school teacher or administrator
     2. an individual in the community (outside of school 
        setting)

6. Current letter of medical visual condition from your eye care practitioner. Please include diagnosis, prognosis, visual acuity and extent of peripheral field loss, if applicable.

Kane- SEE THE FUTURE “Full-Ride Tuition” Scholarship                     Recipients must attend CU-Boulder, CU-Denver, or CU-Colorado Springs

The SEE THE FUTURE Fund is excited and pleased to announce a partnership with the Kane Family Foundation.  The Kane Foundation is offering two merit-based “full-ride tuition” scholarships to visually impaired or blind students who meet the SEE THE FUTURE Fund criteria.  The scholarship will also cover usual and customary fees and $1,500 in books per school year. The scholarship does NOT cover room & board expenses.

Students who are interested in becoming a Kane- SEE THE FUTURE scholar must submit a completed SEE THE FUTURE application by the March 1, 2009 deadline.  All applicants will be considered for the Kane scholarship if they meet the criteria.  Two Kane- SEE THE FUTURE scholars will be selected each year by the SEE THE FUTURE Fund’s Selection Committee. 

Please Be Advised: Kane – SEE THE FUTURE recipients must attend CU-Boulder, CU-Denver, or CU-Colorado Springs.