PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release Jan 6, 2020
827 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Phone: 808-537-6333 Fax: 808-521-6286 HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Cat Howland Hawaii Community Foundation (808) 566-5569 (Office) (808) 260-5001 (Mobile) chowland@hcf-hawaii.org
GIVERS CONTINUE TO HELP STUDENTS WITH HIGH COST OF COLLEGE HONOLULU, HI — HONOLULU, HI — As the cost of a college education continues to climb, traditional and non-traditional college students alike are experiencing sticker shock. Thankfully, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s (HCF) online scholarship application gives these students access to millions of dollars in scholarships every year. Each applicant can fill out the HCF common application to automatically apply to over 280 different scholarships through the HCF website: HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/Scholarships “Without this scholarship, there’s no way I would have been able to go back to school and remain debt free,” said Chase Ivey, a Hawai‘i Island college student and recipient of multiple Kukio Employee Scholarships. “I’ll be graduating in April, and I feel hope and optimism for the Ivey family’s future--which wouldn’t be so bright without the generosity of the Kuki‘o community members.” Photo of Chase Ivey and family. “We are able to award scholarships to over 1200 deserving students each year through the funds donors have established at HCF. Many students receive multiple scholarships,” said Tara Shibuya, Director of Scholarships at HCF. “Because students only need to submit one application, our system automatically matches an application to available scholarships, assuring that every dollar of support is awarded each year. We are extremely grateful to our donors whose foresight and generosity makes this possible.” HCF, the state’s leading philanthropic institution, began accepting online applications for the 2020 – 2021 scholarship season on November 15, 2019. As the third largest private provider of scholarships in the state, HCF offers thousands of opportunities for students to pursue their dreams of receiving a post-secondary education. In 2018, more than $6.3 million was distributed to over 1200 students, and over 30% of these students received multiple awards. “More and more people are pursuing a post-secondary education, even in the face of the rising cost of attending college,” added Shibuya. “Thanks to the generosity of individuals, families and businesses in our community, Hawai‘i’s students have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals, whether it’s at a college, university or community college, and receive much needed financial support.” The foundation also provides the Community Scholarship for students from low to moderateincome households. In 2019, fourteen students received $3,000 scholarship from the Community