[tennmike1957]

Is there anyone aware of any college scholarships available for children of parents who have Parkinson's Disease? My daughter, Sarah, is a tremendous young lady and has worked hard to build an outstanding resume. Her undergraduate study is going to be in Occupational Therapy so that she may continue to work with the disabled! He intention is to continue her studies and get her Master's ! If anyone knows of any scholarships that are available to children of people with PD, please drop me a note!


Thanks,

Michael Johnston
tennmike1957@yahoo.com

[indigogo]

Michael - I don't know of such a scholarship, but it's not a bad idea. Often families with a PwP member have reduced income, making it difficult to make ends meet, let alone bear the cost of college tuition.

I lost my job due to PD. Luckily, I live in Washington State where my daughter's tuition to attend the University of Washington was covered entirely by a program called the "Husky Promise" for qualified kids from low income families who are state residents. She graduated in 2011, and is joining me as an Assistant State Coordinator for the PAN Forum in Washington, DC next month. We couldn't have done it without help - she also worked the entire time to cover housing and other expenses - It would be great if such programs were available everywhere!

Good luck to you and your talented daughter!

[crimsoncrew]

There is some information on the American Parkinson's Association Young Parkinson's website at youngparkinsons.org/resource-guide/financial/paying-for-college.

One organization's program looks particularly interesting - lookingglass.org in Berkeley, CA: "This organization awards college scholarships to graduating high school seniors or college students under the age of 21 who have at least one disabled parent. The number of scholarships and the dollar amounts of each vary from year to year. Students seeking consideration by this organization should plan on applying early. This Web site also offers tips on finding other funding sources to pay for college."