ABOVE PHOTO: Some of the honored scholarship awardees, their families, and leadership take a photo together. (Photo/AMP Studios)
Philadelphia families were surprised with the exciting news during the non-profit’s annual Lottery Day celebration at Independence Blue Cross.
Thousands of Philadelphia families were surprised recently with the news that their children will receive scholarships from Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia (CSFP) for the 2024 – 2025 school year.
On December 14, volunteers, corporate partners, parents, and staff from CSFP and Independence Blue Cross (IBX) gathered at IBX’s corporate headquarters for CSFP’s annual Lottery Day celebration. Attendees called thousands of families to tell them their children will receive financial support to attend a K-8th grade tuition-based school of their choice.
The special evening began with an in-person surprise for a group of families who applied to this year’s scholarship lottery. CSFP invited the families to join in the fun under the guise of a holiday party and surprised them with the news that their children are among those who will be receiving scholarships this year. In addition to the great news, the group enjoyed an evening of food, fun, games, and complimentary tickets to the Rothman Orthopedics Ice Rink, thanks to the generosity of Center City District.
“Lottery Day is the start of CSFP’s partnership with Philadelphia parents,” said Keisha Jordan, the organization’s president and CEO. “Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia is committed to ensuring every child can achieve the education of their dreams, and we view ourselves as supporting families by empowering them to be able to make decisions for the future. We’re proud to provide financial assistance to Philadelphia students and families so they can receive a quality, safe education. I want to thank Independence Blue Cross for providing us with a wonderful space to host this year’s event and the volunteers who joined us in what is certainly one of the most joyous nights of the year.”
“We’re pleased to host this special event that benefits so many of our region’s children and families,” said Lorina Marshall-Blake, vice president of community affairs, Independence Blue Cross. “Along with access to high-quality healthcare, every child deserves a quality education to ensure they have the best possible start in life.”
New scholarship recipients for the 2024 – 2025 school year are randomly selected via lottery. The need-based partial scholarships can be used at over 150 diverse private and parochial schools across the Greater Philadelphia region. All CSFP students are receiving scholarships through 8th grade thanks to program updates made during the last lottery cycle as part of the Breaking Barriers Campaign.
Scholarship support was previously limited to four years. Additionally, all students will receive a scholarship award of $1,200 – $3,200, which is an increase for most families.
While the majority of 2024 – 2025 scholarship winners were selected as part of the priority lottery drawing, applications are still being accepted through March 1. Any applicants not selected in the December lottery will automatically be entered into a final lottery in early March.
For more information about CSFP, please visit: www.csfphiladelphia.org.
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