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NYA Annual Convention Scholarship Fund

September 21st, 2008 by Jean E. Miller

Since several members of the HDSA National Youth Alliance have asked questions about the 2009 NYA convention scholarships I am hoping the below will answer any questions people may have about this very important scholarship fund!  Applications for the 2009 NYA Convention Scholarship will not be made available until early 2009.  If anyone would like to take a look at the 2008 Scholarship Application, to see what information is typically required, please see: 2008 NYA Convention Scholarship Application

About the NYA Annual Convention Scholarship Fund
Each year at the HDSA National Convention the NYA holds a Talent Show on Friday night and a Silent Auction at the Awards Banquet on Saturday. For the Silent Auction the NYA members collect items and/or items are donations by HDSA Chapters, Support Groups, families or friends. Each year, all money raised has been given by the NYA to the HDSA for HD research.
 
At the 2003 HDSA National Convention in Houston, members of the National Youth Alliance voted on setting aside a portion of the donations they collect at the convention each year to establish a Annual NYA Convention Scholarship Fund. The intent of the NYA Convention Scholarship Fund is to help active members of the NYA, living with Huntington’s Disease, attend a HDSA National Convention who, otherwise, might not financially be able to afford attending.

Timeline
At the beginning of each year the HDSA will send out a notice to all current NYA members, HDSA Chapters and leadership announcing the kick-off of the current year's NYA Convention Scholarship Application Open Registration period. 

The 6th Annual 2009 HDSA NYA Convention Scholarship Application form will be available on-line sometime in January 2009.  The enrollment period usually last 4 to 6 weeks with winners of the current annual NYA Convention Scholarship announced on or before 1 April.

 

Who Can Apply for a NYA Convention Scholarship?
The scholarship is open to any current or alumni member of the NYA who will need financial assistance to attend an HDSA National Convention. If there is more then one NYA member in a family, then each member must apply separately. If you are not currently a member of the HDSA National Youth Alliance, please click here to fill out a NYA Application.  Once HDSA receives your NYA application, you will be eligible to apply for the 2009 NYA Convention Scholarship application when Open Registration is announced..
 
Determination of Scholarship Awards
The winner[s] will be determined by the HDSA NYA Scholarship Committee by using a weighting factor, which assigns points [valued between 0 and 15 with 15 being the highest] based on the applicants responses to the questions contained on the NYA Convention Scholarship Applications.
 
What Does A NYA Convention Scholarship Provide?
The goal of the NYA Convention Scholarship program is to enable every NYA member who needs financial support to attend a HDSA National Convention, who applies for a scholarship, with the funding to attend.  However, what the annual convention scholarship can provide each applicant depends on:
  • The number of NYA Convention scholarship applications received
  • The amount of funding that is available in the HDSA NYA Convention Scholarship Fund. 
Each qualifying NYA scholarship applicant will either be offered a full or a partial convention scholarship. 
 
A "full scholarship" typically covers the applicants: HDSA Convention Registration Fee, round-trip transportation costs from their home town to the city where the HDSA National Convention is being held, three [3] nights at the hotel where the convention is being held and a $50.00 per day [3 days] spending allotment for food, baggage, tips, etc.
 
A "partial scholarship" will cover the applicants HDSA Convention Registration Fee and help with other costs that will be required to assist the applicant so that they will be able to attend the HDSA national convention.  These costs might be help with transportation, hotel room including the sharing of a room with other partial scholarship winners. 

 

Contributions to this Fund
In 2008 there were 25 NYA members who applied for, and received, full scholarships! In order to send that many NYA members to the HDSA National Convention in Pittsburgh it cost the Fund $14,515.05, leaving a balance of $ 2,393.14.  Adding the money raised by the NYA members at the 2008 HDSA Convention brings the current balance in the 2009 Fund to $14,011.14.  Even with the help of the couple of HDSA Chapters who budgeted funds to help support the 2009 Annual NYA Convention Scholarship Fund, additional funds will be needed to provide 25 or more NYA members scholarships in 2009!

If you would like to make a contribution to the NYA convention scholarship fund for next year, please mail your check or money order, payable to the "HDSA NYA Convention Scholarship Fund" to Mynelly Perez at the below address, or you can make an online contribution here:http://www.hdsa.org/about/nya.html.  If you have any questions, please contact Mynelly.

Huntington's Disease Society of America
505 Eighth Avenue -Suite 902
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212-242-1968
Toll Free: 1-800-345-HDSA (4372)
Fax: (212) 239-3430
HDSA NYA Contact: Mynelly Perez
HDSA Manager of Special Events & Development
Extension 214 – Email mperez@hdsa.org

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