Central Scholarship makes all the difference for young adults pursuing higher education

In just a few weeks, many young adults will be heading off to college, perhaps for the very first time. As many students and their families know all too well, funding for higher education can be difficult to come by, and a scholarship, no matter the amount, can make all the difference for a young adult pursuing higher education.

Recently, the Central Scholarship & Loan Referral Service (CSLRS) program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, administered by Jewish Family & Children's Service, as well as JF&CS's Sara and Tena Goldstein Memorial Fund awarded about $425,000 in scholarships to nearly 200 area Jewish students at the annual check presentation ceremony held at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill.

Robin Elson, CSLRS committee chair, welcomed scholarship recipients and their family members to the ceremony and applauded their excellence. Guest speakers Zack Block, director of Repair the World: Pittsburgh and Woody Ostrow, Board Ch air of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, spoke to scholarship recipients about following their passions and finding ways to give back to the community.

Also in attendance were Kathy Klein, co-chair of the CSLRS allocations committee, Cheryl Cohen, check distribution co-chair, Dr. Bernie Newman, CSLRS committee member and past chair, Jeff Finkelstein, President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, as well as JF&CS staff including Alayne Lowenberger, scholarship program director and Dana Himmel, scholarship coordinator.

Founded in 1966, the nearly 50-year-old CSLRS is a need-based scholarship program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh administered by JF&CS, which coordinates the efforts of a group of organizations, agencies and scholarship endowment funds to provide scholarships to local Jewish students enrolled in accredited institutions of higher education and demonstrating financial need. Students apply once online thr ough the CSLRS website www.centralscholarship.org and this one application offers access to the numerous scholarships administered by CSLRS. Any Jewish high school senior or student enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or technical school with financial need whose residency is in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington or Westmoreland counties can apply to CSLRS. Applicants must be a resident of one of these counties for at least two years before applying, and financial need must be demonstrated.

The CSLRS program represents an outstanding example of how the Pittsburgh region's Jewish community has come together to create opportunities for our children's futures, and JF&CS and the Jewish Federation are committed to helping local Jewish students pursue advanced education by easing the financial burden.

Applications for the 2016-2017 academic year will be available online in November.

If you know someone who may be eligible and could benefit from a scholarshi p, please visit www.centralscholarship.org or contact Alayne Lowenberger at alowenberger@jfcspgh.org.

Pictured: Arlene Levy, past chair of CSLRS with Alex Desman, a scholarship recipient.

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