The Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund will award $90,000 in scholarships to 32 recipients from across the country. Recipients will be announced at a special scholarship award dinner to be held at Union Station in Washington, DC on June 22.
ICMA-RC and its Board of Directors established the Fund in 2001 on the principle that public sector employees, who give so much to their communities and who pay the ultimate price for their service, should have greater security through education scholarships for their survivors.
This year’s keynote speaker, Terrance W. Gainer, U.S. Capitol Police, Chief of Police (ret.), is especially noteworthy, as he is a third-generation public sector employee. “Without the endearing support of our families, we couldn’t do what we do every day. It’s tough work, and everyone, at some point or another, needs a shoulder,” Gainer said. “Families provide that for us, so it’s more than important, it’s vital, that we take care of them. The Vantagepoint Scholarship is just one of the many ways to show them how much we care.”
With this year’s awards, the Fund has provided 119 students with $430,000 in scholarships. “We believe there’s no better cause than to help survivors of public service employees who lost their lives serving the community,” said Joan McCallen, President of the Fund and CEO and President of ICMA-RC. “These scholarships will allow them to pursue their education and help rebuild their lives after such a tragic loss.”
During the dinner, McCallen will announce the recipients of the 2006/07 scholarship awards. In addition, prior scholarship award winners will be honored at this special event. Attendees will include officials from the public sector, scholarship partners, donors, and ICMA-RC executives.
“Since ICMA-RC provides retirement planning and services solely to the public sector,” McCallen said, “this scholarship program is an obvious way for us to join with our financial services partners, individual donors and other public sector-focused organizations and emphasize our commitment to this community.”
Scholarship applicants are identified through a variety of sources, including participating employers of ICMA-RC, the National Fraternal Order of Police, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc., and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.
About the Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund
ICMA-RC, a not-for-profit corporation and provider of retirement plans exclusively for state and local government employees, its financial services partners, and vendors provide financial support for the Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund. The Fund is a Section 501(c)(3) public charity. Applications for the 2007/2008 scholarships will be accepted beginning January 1, 2007. More information regarding the Fund can be found by visiting http://www.vantagescholar.org.
About ICMA-RC
ICMA-RC (http://www.icmarc.org) is the leading provider of retirement plans and related services solely for the public sector. ICMA-RC, whose headquarters are located in Washington, DC, manages and administers over $26 billion in public sector retirement plan assets for more than 700,000 participants throughout the nation. The firm’s mission is to assist state and local government employers and employees in building retirement security. Vantagepoint securities are distributed by ICMA-RC Services, LLC, a broker dealer affiliate of ICMA-RC, member NASD/SIPC. ICMA-RC Services LLC, 777 North Capitol Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002-4240. 1-800-669-7400.
Source: ICMA-RC
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