2011 DeCA scholarships season now open Published Dec. 6, 2010 By Tammy L. Reed DeCA marketing and mass communication specialist FORT LEE, Va. -- As families and friends come together to celebrate their favorite winter holidays, it's also time for parents to remind students to apply for the 2011 Scholarships for Military Children program. Scholarship applications will be available Dec. 7 in commissaries worldwide and online at http://www.commissaries.com - choose the "News & Info" tab and then the "Scholarship Info" tab. Applications are also available at http://www.militaryscholar.org. Since the program was announced in 2000, it has awarded $8.3 million in scholarships to more than 5,400 children of service members. "The Scholarships for Military Children program was created to recognize the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force," said the Defense Commissary Agency's Acting Director and CEO Thomas E. Milks. "It also celebrates our role in the military community, as the scholarships are awarded annually through each commissary operated by DeCA." Only dependent, unmarried children, younger than 21, or 23 if enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university, of a service member on active duty, a reservist, guardsman or retiree, or survivor of a service member who died while on active duty or while receiving military retirement pay, may apply for a scholarship. Eligibility is determined using the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database. Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are enrolled in the DEERS database and have a current military ID card. The applicant must be planning to attend, or already be attending, an accredited college or university, full time in the fall of 2011 or be enrolled in a program of studies designed to transfer directly into a four-year program. Applicants must submit an essay on the following topic and answer the question: "Our nation has a goal of improving health and wellness. What are your ideas and, more importantly, how do you propose to put these ideas into action in your local community?" Applications must be turned in to a commissary by close of business Feb. 22, 2011. At least one scholarship will be awarded at every commissary with qualified applicants. Scholarship awards will be based on funds available, but the scholarship program anticipates awards of at least $1,500. If there are no eligible applicants from a particular commissary, the funds designated for that commissary will be awarded as an additional scholarship at another store. Scholarship Managers, a national, nonprofit, scholarship-management services organization, manages and awards these military scholarships. If you have any questions about the scholarship program application, call Scholarship Managers at 856-616-9311 or e-mail them at militaryscholar@scholarshipmanagers.com. Commissary vendors, manufacturers, brokers, suppliers and the general public donate money to the program, and every dollar donated goes directly to funding the scholarships.