On Thursday, January 22, 2009, The Salvation Army of Greater Houston awarded over $10,000 in college scholarships to area students who are members of The Salvation Army’s Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the local region, at their annual Youth of the Year Scholarship Awards Dinner, which was held at The Junior League of Houston. The recipients of these awards range in age from 12 to 18 years old.

Presented in four different age categories – 12 years of age, 13, 14 and 15 to 18 – The Salvation Army scholarships are an extension of the nonprofit organization’s youth outreach initiatives, which also include mentoring, academic advising and financial aid assistance.  The award amounts are determined by the quantity of donations received by the organization.

“We are very pleased to be able to help these young people continue moving in the right direction towards their self-enrichment,” says Major Marshall Gesner, Area Commander for The Salvation Army of Greater Houston.  “Hopefully, in the future more people will donate to this initiative and allow us to impact more young people in such a positive way.”

In order to qualify for a Youth of the Year Scholarship, students must be between the ages of 12 and 18 years old; be an active member at one of the six area Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs in the local region; and submit a completed application, including a personal essay explaining what The Salvation Army’s Boys & Girls Clubs mean to them.  A panel of judges made up of Salvation Army personnel, Salvation Army Advisory Board members, and the general public, review the applications and select first, second, and third place winners for each of the four competing age group categories.  

At the Youth of the Year Awards dinner each of the first place scholarship recipients recited their winning personal essays.