The Palm Beach Gardens Police and Fire Foundation has established an educational scholarship program to assist qualified individuals in their pursuit of continuing education.

The Foundation’s “Herb and Penny Wender Scholarship Program” consists of several individual scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each which will be awarded at the conclusion of the current academic year. Funding and final selection decisions are solely at the discretion of the Foundation’s scholarship committee.

Prospective applicants should carefully read the guidelines and procedures and provide the necessary information on the appropriate application forms.

Eligibility

• The primary objective of the Herb and Penny Wender Scholarship Program is to provide financial assistance to dependent children of Palm Beach Gardens Police and Fire Department employees, and current active members of the Police and Fire Explorer Posts. A one-year employment requirement applies to dependents of Department personnel. Dependent children of the Foundation’s Board of Directors are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants must be seeking undergraduate, graduate or technical studies at an accredited post secondary educational institution and be enrolled and accepted for either full or part-time studies.
• Applicants must only use scholarship funds for tuition, fees and educational institution housing.

Selection Criteria

The selection of the scholarship recipients will be made by a Foundation appointed scholarship review committee taking into consideration the following criteria.

• The applicants record of scholastic achievement with a minimum requirement of a 3.0 grade point average.
• The applicants record of prior community service.
• The application will include a one (1) page essay on a topic indicated in the application.
• The applicant will provide three (3) recommendations from instructors, coaches, supervisors or other adults they have worked with.
• The applicant has completed a minimum of one year uninterrupted service

Application Process

Application forms may be obtained from the Administrative Assistant to the Police or Fire Chief. The completed application package must then be approved by the Department Chief and returned to the Administrative Assistant for uploading to the Department Intranet no later than July 1st. Documents requested from third parties such as the applicant’s school transcripts and letters of recommendation must accompany the application. Applicants should keep a complete copy of all materials submitted.  Application forms will no longer be accepted by mail or delivered other than as set forth above. Applicants will be notified of the Scholarship Committee’s decision on or about July 21st.

Judging Procedure

This is not strictly a needs based scholarship, but financial need will be considered. All personal information and scholastic information will be used for verification purposes only. Applications will be judged on the following criteria: (1) Academic achievement (2) Community/volunteer achievements (3) Submitted Essay and (4) Financial Need (5) Other criteria as deemed important by the Committee.

Please note:

• Handwritten essays will not be considered.
• Applicants not submitting a complete application package will not be considered.
• Application packages turned in after the deadline date will not be considered.
• Members of the Foundation Board of Directors or their dependents are not eligible to apply.
• Employment information for sponsoring Department employees will be verified for all applicable applicants.
• Applicants must be prepared to appear personally for an interview by the scholarship committee, if deemed necessary.
• Scholarship recipients may be required to submit a brief questionnaire and a picture of themselves. These items may be used on our website and/or in articles written about our scholarship program.
• In the event the number of applicants exceeds six (6), it may be that not every applicant will receive a scholarship.

If you have any questions regarding your application, please email us.