DES MOINES, IA (May 2, 2014) -- The Iowa Credit Union Foundation (ICUF) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2014 Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship program. A total of $5,750 in scholarships was given to four high school students and two post-high school students to further their education.
Each applicant was required to complete an entry form and write a 500-word essay on the following question:
Financial literacy is now part of Iowa’s Department of Education’s core curriculum.
What are the most important aspects of money management that should be taught when it comes to savings, checking, borrowing or investing for the long term? How can credit unions help you and others with financial education?
Winners were selected by a panel of judges including teachers and credit union professionals. Scores on the essay were based on originality, clarity, meaningful content, accurate presentation of facts, adherence to contest rules, spelling, grammar and punctuation.
“The mission of the Iowa Credit Union Foundation (ICUF) is to help Iowans build wealth, responsibility and independence,” said Jaimie Miller, Executive Director, ICUF. “We do this through critical programs such as the Warren A. Morrow Scholarship. The six scholarship finalists demonstrated outstanding knowledge around the essay topic of financial literacy and we are proud to award them with funding to support their higher education.”
High School Winners:
- 1st Place ($1,500): Jace Holton, Veridian Credit Union (Waterloo)
- 2nd Place ($1,000): John Klopfenstein, Community First Credit Union (Mount Pleasant)
- 3rd Place ($750): Nicole Schrader, Linn Area Credit Union (Marion)
- 4th Place ($500): Brittany Gilkes, DuTrac Community Credit Union (Dubuque)
Post-High School Winners ($1000 each):
- Cally Bengston: Veridian Credit Union (Fairbank)
- Emily Bruns: Cedar Falls Community Credit Union (Cedar Falls)
The Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship was named in celebration of Morrow’s life and achievements in the Hispanic and credit union industries. Morrow was a visionary in the credit union industry and Hispanic community, who passed away unexpectedly in 2012 at the age of 34. Warren founded Coopera, a full-service Hispanic growth firm that provides custom solutions for credit unions nationwide to grow by reaching and serving the Hispanic market, in 2006 in partnership with the Iowa Credit Union League. In 2007, Warren helped secure funding for ICUF, including its Individual Development Account program to help low-income families build financial assets.
More information about the scholarship can be found on www.IowaCreditUnionFoundation.org.
About the Iowa Credit Union Foundation
Founded in 1995 as the philanthropic arm of the Iowa Credit Union League, the Iowa Credit Union Foundation's (ICUF) primary focus is to eliminate poverty in the state of Iowa. ICUF seeks to carry out its mission to help Iowans build wealth, responsibility and independence through its various programs, grants and scholarships. For more information, visit www.IowaCreditUnionFoundation.org.