2025 WILLIE STEWART COMMUNITY SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

United Way of Pierce County has served our community since 1921, and our history is rooted in partnerships—bringing people from different walks of life together to improve conditions for children, families, and individuals. Today we are leading change by breaking the cycle of poverty in Pierce County. We are proud to partner with Willie Stewart, a longtime Pierce County educator and volunteer, and excited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Willie Stewart Community Service Scholarship this year! This scholarship awards high school seniors in Pierce County who have given back to their community, locally and globally, through volunteer service.

Minimum Qualifications
▪ 12th grade student attending a Pierce County school
▪ Provide documented volunteer service during high school
▪ Write a 500-1000 word essay (details below)
▪ Have applied, or will apply, to an institution of post-secondary education (technical college,
community college, trade school, or university) in the 2024-2025 academic year
▪ Please proofread your application before submitting
▪ A letter of recommendation must be included with your application (see requirements for
letter of recommendation below)

Scholarship funds may only be applied toward the recipient’s tuition and fees at the school they will be attending. Scholarship awards are $5,000 and checks are made out to each recipient’s college of attendance upon verification of enrollment. There are no income requirements. The scholarship application must be received by May 1, 2025 and include a volunteer service activity log, essay, and a letter of recommendation to be considered.

Guidelines for Applying
▪ Complete this application, documentation of service hours, essay, and include one letter of
recommendation. All items MUST be submitted (by mail, email, or in person) and
received no later than May 1, 2025.
Attention: This scholarship award may be affected by Scholarship Displacement and may reduce other forms of financial aid from your school of choice. Please check the policies at your prospective schools before applying.

First Name *

Last Name *

Mailing Address *

City, State, Zip Code *

Email address *

Phone number *

Gender *

High School *

Please provide the name and location (city, state) of the college you anticipate attending in the fall: *

VOLUNTEER SERVICE TRACKING
Please list the community service activites you have participated in during high school (grades 9-12). Volunteer service contributed within the local and global community will both be considered, and service over the summer may be credited to the following school year. Please provide a resonable amount of detail so the review committee can get a sense of your service. Include the following for each service activity:

-Name of organization or group
-Describe your volunteer activity and responsibilities
-Name of supervisor or contact at organization, email, and phone
-Dates of service
-Total number of hours for this service activity

Below is an example of what to submit for each activity. Please compile a log for each school year in a document (following the format in the example) and upload it below.

EXAMPLE:

2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR

NAME OF ORGANIZATION OR GROUP: Communities in Schools of Puyallup March Gladness
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY/RESPONSIBILITIES: Planned activities (feeding the homelss, donations drives, fundriaisers) with local nonprofits and organized student tasks at projects
VOLUNTEER SUPERVISOR NAME/EMAIL/PHONE: Mrs. Brown, abrown@gmail.com, 253.272.4263
DATES OF SERVICE: 10/1/23 - 6/15/24
TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS FOR THIS SERVICE ACTIVITY: 56

NAME OF ORGANIZATION OR GROUP: Children's Museum of Tacoma
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY/RESPONSIBILITIES: Summer Camp leader; helped children with activities, story time, set-up and clean-up
VOLUNTEER SUPERVISOR NAME/EMAIL/PHONE: Mr. Brown, abrown@icloud.com, 253.123.4567
DATES OF SERVICE: 7/1/24 - 8/10/24
TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS FOR THIS SERVICE ACTIVITY: 30

TOTAL # OF SERVICE HOURS FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2021-2022 *

TOTAL # OF SERVICE HOURS FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2022-2023 *

TOTAL # OF SERVICE HOURS FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2023-2024 *

TOTAL # OF SERVICE HOURS FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2024-2025 *

GRAND TOTAL # OF SERVICE HOURS IN HIGH SCHOOL *

Please upload your COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITY LOG here. *

ESSAY

United Way of Pierce County is tackling poverty at its roots and has established a bold goal of lifting 15,000 families out of poverty in Pierce County by 2028. Please include a brief essay that describes your vision for breaking down these barriers through community service. In your essay, explain how you have already contributed to a community service project that helps struggling families or individuals. How did you contribute? Please describe what you learned from the experience illustrating your understanding of community need and the impact of your service. Please share how you've served as a student leader and include how you are committed to serving your community in the future. Length should be at least 500 words (maximum 1000 words) and your essay must be typed. Please make sure your essay is proofread for grammar and spelling before it is submitted.

Please upload your COMMUNITY SERVICE ESSAY here. *

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

A letter of recommendation is required to complete your application for this scholarship. Your letter of
recommendation should be written by an adult (not a relative) who has supervised your volunteer service or who has served with you and can speak to your service experience and dedication. This letter needs to include your first and last name. You may only submit one (1) letter of recommendation.

Please upload your LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION from a community service supervisor (not a relative) here. *

This application and all required uploaded documents must be received by May 1, 2025 to be considered. Please email volunteer@uwpc.org with any questions. Thank you for your dedication to community service!