New scholarships offered for those affected by Las Vegas shooting

The Public Education Foundation and Vegas Strong Resiliency Center announced new scholarships Thursday to support those affected by the mass shooting on Oct. 1, 2017.

High school or college students may apply for the Vegas Strong scholarships by Jan. 31.

“We will always remember the strength and courage exhibited five years ago, and we remain committed to supporting those affected and our first responders as our community continues to heal,” said Kirsten Searer, president of the Public Education Foundation, in a news release. “Thanks to the generous support of our Vegas Strong donors, we are able to honor those impacted by this tragedy by promoting a brighter future for their loved ones and our students.”

The education foundation already has provided $530,000 in scholarships to those affected by the mass shooting and to the first responder community, according to the release.

Vegas Strong First Responders’ Dependents Scholarship

The $2,500 scholarship is open to Clark County high school seniors who are the dependent of a first responder.

It’s renewable annually for four years or two years, depending on whether the student is pursuing a bachelor’s or associate degree.

Students must have a 3.0 GPA. They also must attend a Clark County School District campus, or a Clark County charter school or private school.

Vegas Strong Future First Responders’ Scholarship

The $2,500 scholarship — which is renewable for up to four years — is open to Clark County public or private school high school seniors who have at least a 3.0 GPA and plan to attend a Nevada college or university.

Students must be pursuing education in a first responder field such as police, fire, health care, nonprofit or government disaster relief.

Vegas Strong Helping Hands Scholarship

The $2,500 scholarship is available for high school seniors affected by the mass shooting who plan to pursue a college or university degree in a high-need area such as accounting, education, health care and medical services, information technology or STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

The scholarship can be renewed annually for a two-year or four-year degree.

To apply for scholarships, visit thepef.org/scholarships. To make a donation to support the scholarships, visit thepef.org/1october.

The shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival on the Strip initially left 58 concertgoers dead and hundreds more injured. Two victims died from their injuries more than two years after the shooting.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.