View Content #1223
| Contentid | 1223 |
|---|---|
| Content Type | 1 |
| Title | OCA-AVON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM |
| Body | From: "Anselmo Villanueva" OCA CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2004 OCA-AVON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Date: 02/13/2004 Washington, DC - The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) is teaming up with the Avon Foundation to introduce the 2004 OCA-Avon Foundation Scholarship Program. Fifteen scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded to Asian Pacific American (APA) women who will be entering their first year of college. Within the last eight years, OCA has awarded over 1300 scholarships to financially disadvantaged students through its various scholarship programs. Scholarships and financial aid are critical in helping students from lower income families attain a college education. "OCA and the Avon Foundation are dedicated to education in the APA community," commented OCA National President Raymond Wong. "The Avon Foundation recognizes the need to provide opportunities to APA students who do not have access to the financial resources necessary to pursue higher education." The APA population is nearly 12 million with a poverty rate of 12.6 percent, compared with 9 percent for non-Hispanic Whites in 1999, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Although APAs are often made victims of the model minority myth, and thus lack access to additional financial resources to pay for college, most APAs do not fit into the highly educated and wealthy category dictated by this stereotype. The scholarship will provide opportunities to APA students who wish to pursue higher education while facing financial difficulties. "Education has always been a high priority in the Asian Pacific American community." noted Christine Chen, OCA Executive Director. "Although the average level of education for APAs is high, the statistics are misleading. Although there are many members of our community who have advanced degrees, there are countless APAs who are unable to attend college because of financial difficulties. Through our many scholarships - including the OCA-Avon Foundation Scholarship - OCA is committed to granting deserving APA students a chance they otherwise would not get." Since 1955, the Avon Foundation (www.avoncompany.com/women) has shown its commitment to women through an expanding network of life enhancing programs that promote economic empowerment for women. The Avon Foundation's economic empowerment program supports organizations that offer women the ability to acquire the skills and support they need to become economically secure, such as job training and readiness, women's shelters, scholarships and professional development. The Avon Foundation is the largest corporate women's foundation. In almost 50 years, the Avon Foundation has contributed more than $100 million and funded over 11,000 grants and scholarships that benefit the economic empowerment of women. For more information on OCA's scholarship programs and an application, students may go to OCA's website at www.ocanatl.org. The deadline for applying to the 2004 OCA-Avon Foundation Scholarship Program is May 1, 2004. The Organization of Chinese Americans, a national civil rights organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates across the country, was founded in 1973 to ensure the civil rights of the Asian Pacific American community. It maintains its headquarters in Washington, D.C. |
| Source | OCA |
| Inputdate | 2004-02-19 12:17:00 |
| Lastmodifieddate | 2004-02-19 12:17:00 |
| Expdate | 2004-05-01 00:00:00 |
| Publishdate | Not set |
| Displaydate | Not set |
| Active | 1 |
| Emailed | 1 |
| Isarchived | 1 |
