The Leigh and Randy Porges Spirit Awards

Eligible Applicants:
All alumni of SEEDS programs who are currently full-time students in accredited secondary, post-secondary or graduate school programs are eligible to apply.

Selection Criteria:
The Leigh and Randy Porges Spirit Awards will honor two alumni who most exemplify the SEEDS mission of developing future leaders through educational opportunity. The two major criteria through which candidates will be assessed are listed below:

1) Proven academic excellence and leadership. All areas of study will be considered. Consideration will be given to cumulative/major GPA as well as the student’s strength of curriculum.

2) Clear evidence of the student’s commitment to improving his or her local or global communities. Emphasis will be placed on volunteerism, community leadership, and a demonstrated, ongoing commitment to social advocacy and change.

*Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate both a history of volunteerism and a strong, current commitment to volunteerism and the improvement of his or her community.

Application Process:
The Leigh and Randy Porges Spirit Awards will be given to scholars exhibiting the strongest combination of academic excellence and demonstrated commitment to his or her community. All applicants are required to submit a letter (limited to 1,500 words), recent school transcript, and at least one teacher or supervisor’s recommendation describing the scholar’s achievement by October 6th.

Students should:
o Provide detailed documentation of the extent and nature of his or her academic accomplishments and community involvement,
o Describe what immediate benefits have been experienced by his or her community and school as a result of his or her efforts, and
o Explain how he or she believes these efforts have contributed to long-term, sustainable community advancement and social change.

Scholars should take care to mention concrete examples of their work in the community, citing ongoing responsibilities, past volunteer efforts, leadership roles, special projects, interactions with target population, etc.

*SEEDS reserves the right to contact references for further information about the applicant.

Selection Process:
All applications will be reviewed by a committee of New Jersey SEEDS staff. This committee will review all applications and select the finalists for consideration. The applications chosen for the awards will be presented to the Porges family for approval.

Awards:
Two awards will be made for educational resources with values up to $500 each. Cash awards will not be given; rather, scholars will submit a short budget outlining the educational resources needed and their costs. After approving this budget, SEEDS will issue a check in the scholar’s name for the purchase of these items and the scholar will provide receipts documenting his or her expenditures of the grant monies. Some suggested uses of grant monies: computer, computer software, study abroad scholarships, fees for academic programs or workshops, and textbooks.

Formal Recognition:
Each recipient will be given a certificate documenting his/her achievement signed by the President of New Jersey SEEDS. The Leigh and Randy Porges Spirit Award recipients and their academic achievements and community involvement will be included in SEEDS’ publications, including eSeedlings, the Annual Report and the SEEDS’ website.

Restrictions:
Each SEEDS scholar will submit only one application annually, highlighting his or her qualifications for this award. Scholars are eligible to receive the award only once; if a scholar has received the Leigh and Randy Porges Spirit Award, he or she will not be eligible to apply in subsequent years. Please note that selection will be based only on demonstrated academic achievement and community involvement; grant requests for future or anticipated projects will not be considered.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST:

o One Letter (not to exceed 1,500 words)
o Recent School Transcript
o One Teacher Recommendation
o Other (You may include any other documents that you feel highlight your qualifications.)

Please send all application materials to [email protected].