Meijer Foundation Awards $38K Grant to Bay Commitment Scholarship Program

November 17, 2015
By: O. J. Cunningham

Bay City, MI - The Bay Area Community Foundation announced the receipt of a $38,000 grant to the Bay Commitment First-Generation Scholarship program from The Meijer Foundation.

The Bay Commitment Scholarship program, established by the Bay Area Community Foundation in 2007, provides one-hundred $2,000 scholarships to students who are the first generation in their family to attend college (neither parent holds a bachelor's degree) and will attend either Delta College or Saginaw Valley State University. In order to be eligible for the funds, students must have lived in Bay County for six years and be graduating from a Bay County high school.

"We are thrilled that The Meijer Foundation has demonstrated their commitment to education in our area through this grant. Our local Meijer stores are actively involved with our local schools and we're grateful for their support," explained Eileen A. Curtis, CEO of the Bay Area Community Foundation.

Founded in 1990, The Meijer Foundation has grown to support all of the charitable efforts of the Meijer family. With over 150 grocery and general merchandise stores with 85,000 employees, the Meijer name is well-known throughout the Midwest.

It is said that Fred Meijer believed that continued education and lifelong learning were invaluable. In an effort to fuel that learning, the foundation supports a wide variety of academic programs, events and projects in the communities they serve. The Bay Commitment Scholarship program is one component of the Great Lakes Bay College & Career Resource Center. The Resource Center assists students and their families as they plan, prepare, apply for and attend college.

Applications for all 2016 Bay Area Community Foundation scholarships, including the Bay Commitment, will be available on the foundation's website (www.bayfoundation.org) starting December 1, 2015. Application deadline is March 7, 2016. Additional information and support is available through the Great Lakes Bay College & Career Resource Center located in the Pere Marquette Depot at 1000 Adams Street, in downtown Bay City, online at www.GLBCollegeResource.org or by calling (989) 893-6026.