AWFS® Announces Its 2003-04 Scholarship Recipients

Furniture World Magazine

The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS®) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2003-04 Scholarship program. This year AWFS® awarded four new scholarships, bringing the number of students currently receiving AWFS® Scholarships to a total of 12. The scholarship program is open to children of the employees of AWFS® member companies. The two types of scholarship awarded by AWFS® are the Merit Scholarship, based on a combination of scholastic achievement, community and school involvement, and the Maury Ostrove Scholarship, based on a combination of financial need and merit. The applicants are ranked by a compilation of SAT/ACT scores, GPA, community and extra-curricular activities as well as responses to interview questions. The winners are selected by a blind review process by the AWFS® Member Scholarship Subcommittee, chaired by Terri McCormick of North American Foam. AWFS® awarded each student $3,000 for the 2003-04 academic year. Students are eligible for up to four years of support, as the scholarships are renewable provided the students meet all continuation criteria. Since the inception of the scholarship program in 1978, AWFS® has granted over $1 million to the children of employees of AWFS®’ member companies. The newly awarded recipients selected for the 2003-04school year are: Vi Luat Nhan (attending University of Washington), with parent Khon My Nhan employed at Systimatic/IKS in Washington state; Christopher Scott Vagts (attending Georgia Institute of Technology), whose father, Christopher H. Vagts is an employee of Hettich America in Georgia; Jonathan McNeil (attending Willamette University), whose father, James D. McNeil, Jr., is with Timber Products Company in Oregon; and Claire Sandoe (attending McGill University/Canada), with father Michael Sandoe working for Janesville-Sackner Group in Michigan. Commenting on the quality of the applicants, McCormick says, “We had over 50 applicants. It was extremely competitive with students showing very high levels of both academic as well as community achievements.” For more information on the AWFS® Scholarship, contact the AWFS® office at (800) 946-AWFS (2937) or visit their web site at www.AWFS.org. The Scholarship Program application for the Year 2004-05 will be available January 2004. The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS®) is the largest national trade association in the United States representing companies that supply the home and commercial furnishings industry. AWFS® owns and sponsors the successful AWFS®Fair held biennially in Anaheim, California. For more information about AWFS®, call AWFS® at 800-946-AWFS (2937) or email to info@AWFS.org.