At the orientation parents were served a light meal and given an opportunity to submit their registration materials, ask specific questions about the program, and receive a Scholarship Handbook.  This handbook covers such issues as Expectations of a Private School, Finding a School, Budgeting for Tuition, and Renewing Your Scholarship.  

chance to talk to the principals about their schools and what they have to offer.  Many families had not madeAssisting parents at the orientation were many principals from area private schools.  This gave families a their decision yet about where to send their child/children and found it helpful to talk to the principals. 

School representatives assisting families with questions regarding their NWOSF scholarships 

Guests were treated to a fun evening including trick or treat bags, hand-painted pumpkins on the tables, and many other Halloween party decorations.  Many waiters got into the spirit with their own costume favors including masks, witch brooms, and spider webbing.  Guests enjoyed a choice of four entrees including Fried Gulf Shrimp, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, Chicken Alfredo, and Barbequed Salmon. 

More than $64,000 was raised for scholarships including a match from the Children’s Scholarship Fund.

Celebrity Wait attendees enjoying themselves while raising money for scholarships!

Celebrity Wait volunteers welcoming guests to the Tip or Treat Celebrity Wait.

One young lady lights the hallways at Emmanuel Christian School.  Her name is Kathryn Geisler, or Katie, and she is a second grader at Emmanuel Christian.  She has attended Emmanuel since kindergarten, thanks to a scholarship from the NWOSF.  Her parents, Mark and Lori Geisler, chose Emmanuel for Katie because of the smaller class size and the Christian background.   They felt that Emmanuel would offer a more well-rounded education for Katie and that she would receive more attention at the school. 

“Katie is a girl with a sweet spirit who focuses her attention on all parts of the lesson,” says her teacher, Melody Fry.  Ms. Fry thinks she is great to have in a classroom because “when she finishes her work, she continues to look for activities to do, which will increase her learning.”  To learn more about Katie’s school Emmanuel Christian visit www.ecstoledo.org .

Seventeen years ago Christine and Robert Scarlett made the decision to homeschool their first child, Paige, who is now 23 years old and has graduated from college.  It was their oldest daughter that discovered the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund as a resource for homeschool assistance for her family.  Paige was doing research on scholarships for college when she happened to come across the program.  She shared the information with her mother who was a bit skeptical. Today they are continuing to homeschool three of their seven children thanks to the assistance of NWOSF. 

The family has now been in the program for seven years and has benefited greatly from the support.  Chris Scarlett believes that “receiving the scholarship has enabled her to provide more enrichment programs for her children and has allowed her to go beyond just the basics.”   The Scarletts are very active in their children’s education.  Mr. Scarlett has a Master’s in English and his teaching certificate.  He does portfolio assessments for home educated students and is a tutor at Huntington Learning Center.  Mrs. Scarlett is active in the Catholic Home Educators of NW Ohio (CHENO), Home Educating Mother’s Support Group (HEMS), Home Education League of Parents (HELP), and has attended a national Catholic Conference for Homeschooling.

For more information on homeschooling visit www.homeschooltoledo.net.

“Opportunity, diversity and security spell faith in a brighter future for students at Queen of Apostles School” is how principal Sister Brenda Haynes, SND, describes her school.  She feels that “academic excellence and cultural diversity go together at Queen of Apostles School.”

Sister Brenda says it is the faculty that makes Queen of Apostles School unique.  Besides being so dedicated to teaching the students, the teachers are very generous with their time, talents and treasures.  Many times teachers are seen after school working with students, tutoring them or assisting them with projects.  Several of the teachers are volunteer coaches for the school’s athletic teams.

Queen of Apostles is a Central City Ministry School located at 235 Courtland Avenue.  There are 137 students at the school and most of them come from south Toledo neighborhoods.  The school’s population consists of 51% Hispanic, 10% African American, 24% Caucasian, and 15% multi-racial.  There are 43 students receiving Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund scholarships.

The school was established in 1992 after it was decided that three parishes, St. James, Immaculate Conception and Sts. Peter and Paul would come together under the name Queen of Apostles to form one school.  To learn more about the fighting Hornets of Queen of Apostles and the other three CentralCityMinistry Schools visit www.toledodiocese.org . Click on Catholic Schools then click CCMT.

This past October Fifth Third Foundation presented a check for $10,000 to Richard LaValley, Jr., the president of the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund.  This grant is being used to provide children in low-income families scholarships to attend independent, non-public schools.

The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund (NWOSF) was established in 1999 to create a private source of tuition assistance for low-income families living in Lucas, Wood or Fulton counties, seeking a choice for their children’s education.  Since 1999, NWOSF has awarded more than $5,000,000 in scholarships to students wanting to attend a private school.

Robert LaClair, President and CEO of Fifth Third Bank feels “we are fortunate to enjoy the resources of the Fifth Third Foundation to further the educational opportunities for low-income families in our community.”

Fifth Third Bank was the first financial institution in the United States to establish a charitable foundation.  The foundation was established in 1948 to make strategic grants in the communities where Fifth Third Bank operates. 

Application Process 

Who are we?

The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Inc. is a program to help give parents choice in their children's schooling.  We do this by offering tuition assistance to attend non-public schools to the low-income families who meet our eligibility requirements.

• .   Must be a resident in Wood, Lucas, or Fulton Counties

• ·   Children must be entering into K-8 grade for the 2007/2008     school year

• ·   Income and household size must meet requirements:

Thanks to the generous support of donors the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $5 million in need-based scholarships to students so they can attend a private school or be home schooled.  This support has inspired educators at the 52 private schools that educate these students. 

You can continue to provide hope for the young people of this community with a gift to the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund.  Your gift will be worth that much more because it is matched by the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which will mean more scholarships for students.

Or you can provide hope for the long term with a planned gift in the form of a bequest, remainder trust, or you can name NWOSF as a beneficiary for a life insurance policy or an IRA account.  These donations can provide you with added benefits from a charitable income tax deduction. 

The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization.  All contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

For more information about providing hope with a gift to the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, contact (419) 244-6711, ext. 219 or visit www.nosf.org.

Thank you!

LINKS:

Click here to visit the Northwest Ohio Children's Scholarship Fund website. 

Click here to visit the Children's Scholarship Fund website.