It's a wonderful way to honor these people who've received little recognition in the past. Students do not receive a check for the scholarship amount. Rather, the funds go directly to the college, university, or vocational technical school when the student enrolls. For GED and adult education programs in other parts of the country interested in establishing a similar program, Rohland suggests contacting the community relations or public relations offices of local companies. All they can say is no.
Most large companies have line items in their budget for community outreach such as scholarships.
Rohland added that if a company doesn't have money in its budget for scholarships, it may add the funds during the next budget cycle if they know there's an interest. Educators who approach companies should also be sure to let them know how their business will benefit from sponsoring scholarships. In addition to the obvious incentive of helping the community, companies also get free, positive publicity. When a company sponsors a scholarship, everyone in the audience knows it. Rohland also recommends that educators take anything they can get when looking for scholarship dollars.