Livestock sale benefits college scholarship fund
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Participating in the annual 4-H/FFA Livestock Sale at the Butler Farm Show will help recent high school graduates offset the high cost of college.
The 4-H Livestock Scholarship program was established in 1985 to ease the financial burden of higher education.
"It's a wonderful program," said Tammy Schultheis, secretary of the Butler County Junior Livestock Committee and member of the 4-H Livestock Scholarship Committee. "There are a lot of kids that are involved in 4-H who live on a large family farm and don't get the opportunity to go to college because it is very expensive."
The first scholarship was given to one student in 1986 for $200 and has grown since then, with 29 students receiving $500 each in 2007.
Since the fund was established, about $28,000 in scholarship funds have been given to county 4-H participants.
The scholarships are open to students who participated in the livestock show for at least three consecutive years before graduating from high school.
The application is open until July 31 and includes short answer questions about how 4-H has affected the student's life.
"In the past years, we've been able to give it to anyone who meets that criteria," Schultheis said.
When donated animals are resold, the money is collected in the scholarship account.
About 15 students are eligible this year. The scholarships will be given out during the annual 4-H/FFA Livestock Sale on Aug. 7.
