Washington, D.C. – April 3, 2013 – UFCW International President Joseph T. Hansen has announced that the 2013 UFCW International Union Scholarship Program application process is now open to eligible applicants across North America. For over 45 years the UFCW International Union has awarded scholarships to recognize bright, young UFCW members and their dependents.

As part of the union scholarship program, the UFCW awards several scholarships of up to $8,000 each to UFCW members or their unmarried dependents to cover post-secondary tuition fees over a period of four years. For 2013, the union scholarship application will be available online from March 31^st to June 15^th and the International will award one scholarship to a UFCW Canada member.

The scholarships are available to any UFCW member who has been active since March 1, 2012, as well as the unmarried children or dependents of active members. Winners will be selected based on scholastic achievements, community involvement, and an essay that shows an understanding of the principles of the labour movement. Scholarship recipients will receive annual payments of $2,000 for each year that they are enrolled in an accredited college or university for up to four years. The winners' names will be posted on the UFCW website. 

Last year UFCW Canada Local Union 102 member Steven Nadon and Monica Gobbo, the daughter of UFCW Canada Local Union 1518 member Walter Gobbo, both won the prestigious UFCW International Scholarship.

As UFCW International President Joseph T. Hansen explains, "our union stands for more than just improving our members' pay and protecting good jobs. The UFCW is about workers coming together to build better lives for themselves and to pursue important opportunities. That's why each year the UFCW awards several scholarships to UFCW members and their unmarried dependents."

To find out more about the program's eligibility requirements, please visit www.ufcw.org/scholarship. Questions about the program can be e-mailed to [email protected]. Eligible UFCW Canada members and their dependents are also encouraged to apply for the 2013 Beggs-Dowling-Mathieu (BDM) Scholarships Program, which every year awards 18 scholarships of $1,000 each to active members and their family for post-secondary study. The deadline for submitting BDM Scholarship applications is September 30^th.