Living on the frontlines

Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired offers the Ferrell Scholarship to students who are legally blind and are preparing for a career in the education or rehabilitation of blind or visually impaired children or adults. For an application or additional information contact: AER Ferrell Scholarship Fund 4600 Duke Street, Suite 430 Alexandria, VA 22397 Telephone: 703-823-9690 Web site: http://www.aerbvi.org

PRFWI Scholarship Program Puerto Rican Foundation of Wisconsin, Inc. Scholarship Program Information Postmark Deadline: April 30th of current year http://www.prfwi.org/scholarship The Organization The Puerto Rican Foundation of Wisconsin (PRFWI) is a non-profit organization based in the city of Milwaukee. The purposes of the PRFWI are: 1.Provide, advance and enhance education and knowledge of Puerto Rican culture. 2.Promote educational programs to provide better understanding and enhanced appreciation by the citizen of Wisconsin of Puerto Rican art, literature, history and culture. 3.Provide and enhance educational opportunities and scholarships for citizens of Wisconsin of Hispanic/Latino heritage. The major goal of the PRFWI Scholarship Program is to make higher education more accessible to Hispanic/Latino students in the State of Wisconsin. Scholarship value A $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to eligible senior high school studen

Here's another opportunity. The info is for 2010, but they probably just haven't posted for 2011 yet. Check it out. Aplicación de beca para estudiantes Puertoriqueños/ Scholarship Application for students of Puerto Rican descent Fecha limite para aplicar: 23 de Febrero del 2010 Cantidad de las Becas: $500 - $2,500 Elegibilidad: •Ser puertorriqueño o de descendencia puertorriqueña. •Ser ciudadano americano residiendo en los Estados Unidos, preferencia sera dada a estudiantes que viven en Puerto Rico. •Ser estudiante de tiempo completo en una universidad acreditada en los Estados Unidos o Puerto Rico para el año escolar 2010-2011. •Tener y mantener 3 puntos de GPA en la escala de 4. •Demostrar necesidad financiera. Documentos Requeridos: •Transcripción de créditos oficial. •Comprobante de ingresos(Solicitud de Asistencia Económica “Student Aid Report” ó Planilla de contribución sobre Ingresos correspondiente al año anterior). •Compro

I'm passing along another opportunity. You'll have to check out the details for yourself though - grin! They are very interested in students from California, but don't seem to be limited to students in California. The Puerto Rican Civic Club Scholarships http://www.jibaros.com/prcc/scholarships.htm The Puerto Rican Civic Club provides financial assistance to students who demonstrate potential for academic and leadership success. The awards are based on several factors such as grade average, the applicant’s financial situation, student status, extracurricular activities, including sports and community service. Previous grants, scholarships, and/or financial aid may factor in the process of receiving our scholarship. Our scholarship specifically targets students of Puerto Rican ancestry that reside in California in which we give those applicants priority. In the past, we have given scholarships to qualified students not of Puerto Rican ancestry and who do

This is just a reminder. If you're looking for custom-made holiday cards, we've got a deal for you! If you go to www.hpsphotocards.com you can upload your favorite family photo and design your own Christmas (or any other holiday or occassion) cards. They will be professionally printed and shipped to you. The HPS Network gets 33 percent of the sale! You can buy your holiday cards and help fund the HPS Network all at the same time. We are fighting for the cure with every breath!

This week we added one new person to the HPS patient registry. That leaves us 61 to go on the Hundred People Search. We're starting to trend behind. I hope it's not because we're missing anyone who needs a diagnosis.

Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan Academic Scholarship Amount: Two $1,500 scholarships. Candidate: Person, or immediate family member, with hemophilia or other inherited bleeding disorder residing in Michigan. Deadline: March (applications available in January) Contact: HFM Academic Assistance The Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan 905 West Eisenhower Circle, Suite 107 Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (800) 482-3041 (734) 332-4226 fax: (734) 332-4204 Amount: Two $1,500 scholarships. Candidate: Person, or immediate family member, with hemophilia or other inherited bleeding disorder residing in Michigan. Deadline: March (applications available in January) Contact: HFM Academic Assistance The Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan 905 West Eisenhower Circle, Suite 107 Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (800) 482-3041 (734) 332-4226 fax: (734) 332-4204 Amount: Two $1,500 scholarships. Candidate: Person, or immedia

I'm sorry I'm posting these a bit late. I wanted to check on a few things first. Please pray for Cesily and her husband as they cope with recent events and walk along this journey together. May Cesily get the treatment she needs. Please keep praying for Carmen M. She's still in the hospital - yep, still. The cards and letters really do bring her spirits up. Keep up the cards and letters. They make a HUGE difference. Please keep praying for Maria M. She is still working through the transplant process and it's getting complicated because she needs both a lung and a kidney. This week has brought confusing news, and that can be so frustrating! Please pray that the transplant centers all get on the same page and the process gets moved forward. Please keep praying for Maria G. and her family that they all find some comfort and peace. Today we learned of a death in the HPS family. Many of you have called today and asked me who it was. I'm not sure if I'm at liber

Alyssa Renwick, an HPS'er big sister, is donating a percentage of her earnings as a Mark beauty products rep. Check out her online store. She's got some great stuff on sale too! http://arenwick.mymarkstore.com/

Here's another scholarship lead for anyone of Hispanic background. It's open now, so if you're interested, you'd better get busy on that application! http://www.hsf.net/innercontent.aspx?id=460 HSF/ General College Scholarships Calendar Application Available September 1, 2010 Application Deadline December 15, 2010 Application Processing January through May 2011 Selections June 2011 Award Notifications July 2011 Verification of Enrollment Fall 2011 Award Distribution Fall 2011 Program Description HSF/ General College Scholarships are designed to assist students of Hispanic heritage obtain a college degree. Scholarships are available on a competitive basis to: • Graduating High School Seniors • Community College Students • Community College Transfer Students • Undergraduate Students • Graduate Students Award amounts generally range from $1,000 to $5,000. APPLY NOW Eligibility Requirements • Be

I know learning disabilites are not traditionally part of the Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, I do know of some instances of HPS'ers with diagnosed learning disabilites. Sometimes they are the result of an HPS incident and more often they aren't related at all - but I thought I'd post this just in case anyone could use the info: National Center for Learning Disabilities http://www.ncld.org/content/view/725/508/ (also teacher and program awards located at this site) Anne Ford Scholarship The Anne Ford Scholarship is a $10,000 award given to a high school senior with an identified learning disability (LD) who is pursuing an undergraduate degree. The ideal candidate is a high school senior who has faced the challenges of having a learning disability; is committed to completing a college degree and setting career goals; has demonstrated perseverance; embraces new opportunities; has a well-rounded perspective shaped by experiences in school, in the community,

Here's another opportunity that came my way. This scholarship program is for anyone with an interest in these areas; however, they strongly urge groups under-represented in the sciences such as Latinos and people with disabilities to apply. Here's the info: NASA's Motivating Undergraduates in Science & Technology (MUST) Program Scholarships http://scholarships.hispanicfund.org/applications/subsectionID.1,pageID.139/default.asp This program is open to all U.S. citizens, who are pursuing an undergraduate degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) discipline at a college or university that is accredited in the United States are eligible for the MUST funding opportunity. Students of all underrepresented groups (Women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and persons with disabilities) are encouraged to apply.

Here's another one I'm passing along. The information is sketchy, but if you're interested, you can run it down. I have no doubt many students with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome or Chediak-Higashi Syndrome would meet the criteria for a chronic illness, even though our disorders aren't listed. It's just because they are so rare. Good Luck! Chronic Illness Initiative at DePaul University http://snl.depaul.edu/current/chronic.asp#Scholarship The Chronic Illness Initiative (CII) provides access to higher education for students who have chronic illness. Students who struggle with illnesses that unpredictably increase and decrease in severity such as asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, or illnesses with frequent hospitalizations such as cancer or heart disease, may have found it difficult, if not impossible, to meet the requirements of a conventional college program.

Here are some more scholarship leads for blind/visually impaired students. These are from the American Foundation for the Blind. They don't seem to have this year's application up on the Web site yet, but if you're in need of scholarships, you ought to start making a list of these and calling to find out when the application will be available. Then add it to your electronic calendar so you get a reminder to check again when it's supposed to be available. Here's the info: Scholarships in the Field of Rehabilitation and/or Education of Persons who are Blind or Visually Impaired: The Delta Gamma Foundation Florence Margaret Harvey Memorial Scholarship: One (1) scholarship of $1,000 to an undergraduate or graduate student in the field of rehabilitation or education of persons who are blind or visually impaired. The Rudolph Dillman Memorial Scholarship: A one-time award not open to previous recipients. It provides four (4) scholarships of $2,500 each t

Here's another opportunity I wanted to pass along: The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in all discipline areas and a graduate education for those students pursuing studies in mathematics, science, engineering, education, public health or library science. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential. The Gates Millennium Scholars program is available to graduating high school seniors. It provides substantial scholarship awards to exceptional high school seniors for study at the college of their choice. Eligible applicants must have a minimum grade point a

Here's another scholarship lead. It's that time of year, so I have more to post. I've got to go to bed though - yawn! American Council of the Blind (ACB) The American Council of the Blind offers scholarships to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students who are blind. For applications or additional information contact: American Council of the Blind (ACB) Scholarship Office 1155 15th Street N.W., Suite 720 Washington, DC 20005 Telephone: 800-424-8666 Web site: http://www.acb.org

This is another scholarship lead I'm simply passing along. If you're an HPS'er with an interest, then you'll have to check it out for yourself. Grin! UCB is proud to once again offer 30 one-time scholarships of up to $10,000 each in 2011. This opportunity extends to participants diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD) who are seeking an associate's, undergraduate, or graduate degree, or who are enrolled in a trade school educational program. This is the sixth year UCB has had the opportunity to support those living with CD with the Crohn's Scholarship Program. The program aims to help these students continue their education and live beyond the boundaries of their disease. UCB, Inc., is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative treatments for inflammatory diseases such as CD. UCB is dedicated to creating unique programs and tools to help people with Crohn’s fulfill their educational ambitions. We are proud to sponsor a scholarship