Illinois Conservation Foundation announces scholarship program

[MARCH 18, 2004]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Conservation Foundation has launched a prestigious new youth outreach program that will award 10 scholarships to high school juniors and seniors who have made significant contributions or exhibited unparalleled dedication in preserving, promoting, enhancing or supporting natural resources.

"Nominations are now being accepted for the new Youth Conservation Achievement Scholarship program," said Jess Hansen, executive director of Illinois Conservation Foundation. "It is our hope that these 10 $1,000 scholarships will assist those to whom they are awarded in achieving their life goals and provide them an opportunity to meet people who have dedicated their lives to the same causes."

The scholarships will be awarded to one female and one male student in each of five regions, as designated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The presentation of the first class of 10 scholarship recipients will occur during the foundation's 2005 Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet.

Nomination forms, now available through the foundation and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Education Division, must be completed and returned by June 1. Applicants must be nominated by a natural resource constituency group, community leader, school administrator or teacher, or adult mentor. In addition, applicants must be Illinois residents who are high school juniors or seniors at the time of application.

The scholarship program is supported through funds raised at the annual Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet. The Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame was initiated in 2002 to honor people who have made significant and lasting contributions in protecting and enhancing Illinois' natural resources for future generations.

"The scholarship program will link deserving students with the Hall of Fame inductees, blending knowledge and experience with youthful enthusiasm to provide a solid foundation for future conservation efforts in the state of Illinois," Hansen said. "As so many of our ICF programs instill in our youth an appreciation for the outdoors and natural resources, this new Youth Conservation Achievement Scholarship program is an opportunity to pass the torch, learn from the past, renew our commitment and provide hope for the future."

The Illinois Conservation Foundation, an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, has raised more than $18.5 million to support programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

For more information, including details on the new scholarship program, contact the Illinois Conservation Foundation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702; phone [phone]; or check the ICF website at www.ilcf.org.

[Illinois Department of Natural Resources
news release]