ST. MARYS — The Elk County Community Foundation has announced that the Wapiti Roost local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation is partnering with the foundation to administer its local scholarship.

The federation will offer a post-secondary academic scholarship of $500 to a student in Elk County. Scholarship applications are now available through all Elk County high school guidance offices. Students who are avid hunters and are dedicated to preserving the hunting tradition would be ideal candidates for the scholarship.

The National Wild Turkey Federation Scholarship is part of a nationwide program that has provided more than $4 million in scholarships since its inception. The recipient of the local scholarship will be eligible to compete for a $1,000 scholarship funded by the Pennsylvania State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. In turn, the state chapter scholarship winner will be eligible to compete for a $10,000 national scholarship. Because of the progression of the state and national program, the deadline for the scholarship is different than other scholarship administered by the foundation. To ensure there is enough time to submit to the state, scholarship application will need to be submitted to high school guidance offices shortly after the Christmas/holiday break.   

In addition to the $500 from the local scholarship, like all others administered by the foundation, the winner may receive matching dollars from PHEAA through the PATH (Partners for Access To Higher Education) program. The Elk County Community Foundation will submit each student who receives one of the scholarships that they administer to PHEAA for additional matching funding. To be eligible, the student must be enrolled in an approved Pennsylvania College or career school and be PHEAA approved. Last year, students that received ECCF scholarships received more than $63,000 in additional awards.

For more information, see the foundation’s website at www.elkcountyfoundation.com.