Delmarva Education Foundation - What's New

DEF Scholarship Fair!

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-12-08T10:56:00.0000000-06:00

1st ever in the region! Come to the Centre at Salisbury mall 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2012 to learn about the many scholarships available for local students in addition to information on the FAFSA, financial aid, and other education resources.

DEF’s “Scholarship Sponsors Forum”

Katherine Harting — 2011-09-29T09:56:00.0000000-05:00

DEF’s “Scholarship Sponsors Forum” Explores Ways to Help Students on Delmarva

Scholarship representatives from 23 local organizations and businesses attended a “Scholarship Sponsors Forum” hosted by the Delmarva Education Foundation (DEF) to find ways to award more scholarship money to more people on the lower Delmarva Peninsula. Additional support for the August 24 event was provided by the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore (CFES) and Choptank Electric Trust, Inc.

The Forum’s goal was to provide an opportunity for representatives of established local scholarship programs to meet and share best practices about how to run their programs efficiently and effectively and to learn about DEF and Community Foundation resources available to help them. During the roundtable discussion of ways to increase the number of scholarship applicants, Anne Whaples from Choptank Electric Trust (which awards several scholarships annually) proposed DEF host a “scholarship fair,” similar to job fairs and college fairs. Prompted by the enthusiasm of many of the participants, DEF’s executive director Kat Harting agreed to explore the feasibility of such a scholarship fair. Follow-up evaluations of the forum were uniformly positive, with many participants noting they hoped for a second such meeting to allow more time for discussion.

In addition to the roundtable discussion, moderated by Norman Tilghman, retired director of the Upward Bound Program at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, participants were given a demonstration of DEF’s financial aid database, which is a free, online, searchable database of locally-targeted scholarships. It helps publicize the scholarships represented at the forum as well as many others and lists over a million dollars in local scholarship funding available to local students every year. Dr. Spicer Bell and B.J. Summers of the Community Foundation spoke about the value of endowed scholarship funds as a source of stable and predictable funding for area students that involves minimal administrative work by the fund donor. The number of endowed scholarships administered by CFES has been growing steadily.

Norman Tilghman (center) moderated the forum for scholarship sponsors hosted by the Delmarva Education Foundation.

DEF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that helps people find money to continue their education. DEF’s mission is to improve college access and success for residents on the lower Delmarva Peninsula. Assistance on a wide range of topics relating to post-secondary education is available for individuals, families, and groups from DEF’s trained college access advisors. DEF’s website is at www.delmarvaed.org. To contact the Delmarva Education Foundation, call 410-219-3336 or email def@delmarvaed.org.

DEF opens new branch office in Pocomoke City, MD.

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-06-03T12:56:00.0000000-05:00

Grand Opening Celebration!

Join us to celebrate the opening of DEF’s new branch office in Pocomoke City, MD on Thursday, June 30th, 1:00-3:00 p.m., 1731 Broad Street, in the industrial park, within M.I.S.T. (Mid-Atlantic Institute for Space & Technology), Pocomoke City, MD.

Ribbon cutting at 1:30 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

DEF co-sponsors Robotics Technology Exposition and Challenge: Robo-Tec '11

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-04-26T11:11:00.0000000-05:00

Robo-Tec '11, the first annual Robotics Technology Exposition and Challenge will be held in Pocomoke City on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at Midway GM/Toyota, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. This event, sponsored by Midway, Eastern Shore Robotics (ESR), the Mid-Atlantic Institute for Space & Technology (MIST), and the Delmarva Education Foundation (DEF) promises to be the premiere youth technology event in the Delmarva region.

Robo-Tec '11 will feature the robots built and used in this year’s FIRST Robotics Competition with our three teams from the Eastern Shore represented.The Worcester/Accomack, Northampton and Salisbury teams will demonstrate their robots, and team members will be available to discuss the build process for their robots along with highlights from their competition experience.

Please join us in supporting and honoring the Eastern Shore Robotics teams. Information will be available at the event on how students and/or schools can become involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) based programs that DEF, ESR, and MIST support.

More information, including dates for program and booth space, is on the attached flyer. (Click here for the Robo-Tec'11 flyer) Please circulate the flyer widely and consider joining us; DEF will be looking for volunteers to help us that day.

I'm excited about this event, which promises to be creative, helpful, and fun. See you there, I hope!

Katherine A. Harting
Executive Director
Delmarva Education Foundation (DEF)

Apply for Scholarships!

Kat Harting — 2011-03-25T12:33:00.0000000-05:00

Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships

Mar 23, 2011|

With well over $1 million in local, private funds available every year to help students on lower Delmarva pay for college, what's the No. 1 reason all those monies don't get awarded?

Students aren't applying.

There are several reasons students don't apply, in spite of the generosity of our
community and the eagerness of students to find financial aid:

Students don't apply because they don't know about the scholarships.

They don't like to write essays.

They don't fit the qualifications, which are sometimes so narrow, only a very few people
will qualify.

The dollar value gained does not seem enough to justify the time and effort of
submitting an application, if being selected is not a certainty.

The Delmarva Education Foundation helps people find money to continue
their education. DEF maintains a free, searchable database of local
scholarships at our website, www.delmarvaed.org. DEF staff works with
scholarship providers to help them publicize their scholarships and
increase their applicant pools. DEF advisers work with students to help
them find scholarships for which they fit the qualifications.Deadlines for
financial aid for fall admission are rapidly approaching; many have already passed.

Some local providers report their frustration: They have few
applicants -- or none.If you are a student, check out DEF's website to
find local dollars you qualify for. They can add up to real money, especially
where you fit a narrow qualification -- Are you left handed? The child of a
firefighter? Our database and advisers will help you find those good bets.
The time to apply is now.

Katherine Harting, Princess Anne

Harting is executive director of Delmarva Education Foundation. -- Editor

Paying for College: What's Available?

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-02-25T15:00:00.0000000-06:00

Click the link below to see the Lisa Bryant interviews at DEF that aired on WBOC-TV news February 8, 2011.

Paying for College: What's Available for Local Students

(Note: this links to the video on www.wboc.com and a quick ad plays before the actual DEF piece starts...sorry about that!)

Like us on Facebook!

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-02-04T18:14:00.0000000-06:00

Check out DEF's Facebook page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Delmarva-Education-Foundation/157593560938401

Click the "thumbs up" icon on our FB page to like us and be a fan!

Daily Times editorial

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-02-04T18:13:00.0000000-06:00

This very nice editorial by Susan Parker of the editorial staff appeared on Saturday 1/22/2011 in the Daily Times.

'Doctor Don' made a difference in our lives
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201101220432/OPINION01/101220355

Kat Harting talks about DEF on Skipjack.net (watch the video!)

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-01-19T18:27:00.0000000-06:00

DEF's Executive Director, Kat Harting, was interviewed for a 13-minute video

about DEF that appears on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's Rural Development Center website. She discusses DEF's past and present, the value of education and delayed gratification, and some options for DEF's future.

Click on the following link to read the article and see the video interview:

http://skipjacknews.net/index.php/site/news_article/the_delmarva_education_foundation/

WMDT- 47 TV and DEF Publicize Local Scholarships

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-01-10T14:50:00.0000000-06:00

Attention Editors: For Immediate Release

January 6, 2011

DEF and WMDT- 47 TV Publicize Local Scholarships

The Delmarva Education Foundation (DEF) and WMDT-47 television will again partner to showcase scholarships available specifically for local residents. “Meet the Money Givers” is a series of short video segments that will air on WMDT’s news programs from January through April and then be available on DEF’s website. Each segment will describe a different scholarship, including the history, purpose, and requirements of that award. “The series helps people find money to continue their education,” said Katherine Harting, DEF’s executive director, adding, “It’s timely because January through April is prime scholarship search time for September enrollment, and the early bird catches the worm in college financial aid awards.”

Each segment will air on all three of WMDT-47’s local newscasts two days a week (one segment on Wednesday, another on Saturday). WMDT will also air the segments in a similar pattern on channel CW3. WMDT news anchor Terrence Lee hosts the series, which is designed to recognize the people who support with their time and money the educational aspirations of local students.

“This is a remarkably generous community, and this series helps make the connection between those who need scholarship money and those who have money to give,” said WMDT’s general manager, Kathleen McLain. She noted, “Running a scholarship program is work, and promoting it is even more work. That’s where WMDT and DEF can help.” (In “a previous life,” Ms. McLain was a teacher and guidance counselor.)

The “Meet the Money Givers” partnership between DEF and WMDT, which began early in 2010 with a 28-part series, grew from a shared recognition that scholarship sponsors are too often frustrated by a lack of applicants, even while a lack of funds frustrates potential students. Applicants may want to note that last year’s series remains accessible from DEF’s website at www.delmarvaed.org.

DEF is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Salisbury whose mission is to improve college access and success for residents on the lower Delmarva Peninsula. Its free, searchable, online database contains information on more than 500 local-priority scholarships totaling well over a million dollars. Assistance on a wide range of topics relating to post-secondary education is available for individuals, families, and groups from DEF’s trained college access advisors. For more about DEF, see www.delmarvaed.org.

WMDT 47, headquartered in Salisbury, premiered its first television broadcast in 1980. It is one of the few privately owned stations in the country. The station has a long and impressive record of service to the community, sponsoring and supporting a large number of locally important events as well as offering internships to local students. In 2004, the station received the coveted “Service to America” award for its service to children by the National Association of Broadcasters. Always an annual winner of news and production awards, in 2006 the Station was recognized, among other awards, as having the “Best Newscast on Delmarva” by the Chesapeake Association of Broadcasters.

A Lifetime of Public Service - Donald Harting, M.D., M.P.H. (obituary and memorial service)

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-01-10T14:29:00.0000000-06:00

The Board of Directors and the Staff of the Delmarva Education Foundation would like to express our deep sympathy for the death of our founder, Dr. Don Harting. Our Lower Shore Community will miss his thoughtfulness and leadership. Without his guidance and strong support DEF would never have come into existence. And all of the students who have benefited from DEF services would not have had access to the important resources and valuable assistance DEF provides.

Click here for the obituary.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 115 St. Peter’s St., Salisbury. The Rev. Todd W. Kissam will officiate, assisted by the Rev. Dr. David C. Tontonoz. By special request, there will be no eulogy, but remembrances will be welcome at a reception afterwards. Interment of ashes after the service will be at Parsons Cemetery in Salisbury. In lieu of flowers, donations to DEF are suggested. Calling hours will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21 at Holloway Funeral Home, 501 Snow Hill Road in Salisbury. To send condolences to the family, please visit www.hollowayfh.com.

DEF Mourns Passing of Its Founder - January 5, 2011

Linda Jagusiak — 2011-01-10T14:13:00.0000000-06:00

Attention Editors: For Immediate Release

January 5, 2010

Delmarva Education Foundation Mourns Passing of Its Founder

The Delmarva Education Foundation (DEF) will be closed Friday January 7, 2010, to honor its founder, the late Donald Harting, M.D., M.P.H., who died Sunday, January 2. He was 88. As a pediatrician and administrator sensitive to the connection between child development and education, Dr. Harting, or “Dr. Don” as he was affectionately called, teamed up with other like-minded local citizens to create a nonprofit organization to improve educational opportunities for students of all ages on the lower Delmarva Peninsula. His vision was to serve the entire seven-county, three-state area as one region and find common ground between all sectors of the education and business communities. DEF has been providing educational resources to area students for over ten years. For details of Dr. Harting’s life and memorial service plans, see the obituary listed seperately.

DEF is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve college access and success for residents on the lower Delmarva Peninsula. For more about DEF, see www.delmarvaed.org.

"MONEY FOR COLLEGE" workshop at Wicomico Public Library CENTRE BRANCH - February 2, 2011

Linda Jagusiak — 2010-12-22T15:36:00.0000000-06:00

"MONEY FOR COLLEGE" workshop at Wicomico Public Library CENTRE BRANCH - February 2, 2011, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

DEF staff presents a free workshop on how to apply for financial aid and find scholarships to pay for college. This event takes place at the Centre Branch of the Wicomico Public Library at the Centre at Salisbury mall in Salisbury, MD.

Financial Aid/Scholarships Night at Cape Henlopen High School - December 8, 2010.

Linda Jagusiak, Office Manager — 2010-11-21T15:38:00.0000000-06:00

DEF staff will present information on financial aid and scholarships at Cape Henlopen High School's Financial Aid/Scholarships Night on December 8th, 7pm - 8:30pm, in Lewes, Delaware.

FinAid/Scholarships presentation at Holly Grove Christian School, December 7, 2010.

Linda Jagusiak, Office Manager — 2010-11-21T15:37:00.0000000-06:00

Financial Aid/Scholarships presentation at Holly Grove Christian School - Tuesday, December 07, 2010: 9am - 10am

DEF staff presents information on financial aid and scholarships to 9th grade students at Holly Grove Christian School in Westover, MD.

Crisfield High School College & Career Fair, December 14, 2010.

Linda Jagusiak, Office Manager — 2010-11-21T15:34:00.0000000-06:00

Crisfield High School College & Career Fair - Tuesday, December 14, 2010: 9am - 12 noon

DEF staff will have information of financial aid and college at Crisfield High School's College & Career Fair in Crisfield, Maryland.

PRESS RELEASE: High School Counselors Share Strategies for Student Success

Kat Harting, Executive Director — 2010-11-21T15:12:00.0000000-06:00

HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS SHARE STRATEGIES FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
Salisbury, MD – “How do you encourage students to meet application
deadlines?” “How do you use technology to deliver services to students
and parents?” Public and private high school counselors from
throughout the lower Delmarva Peninsula gathered ... (click here for the complete press release).

High School Guidance Counselor's Roundtable - October 22, 2010

Linda Jagusiak, Office Manager — 2010-10-18T16:25:00.0000000-05:00

"Counseling for Post High School Success: A Tools and Techniques Roundtable"

Friday, October 22, 2010 at the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore,1324 Belmont Avenue, Salisbury, MD
9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.

The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore (CFES) and Delmarva Education Foundation (DEF) is hosting a sharing session for high school counselors on best practices used around our region to help students plan beyond graduation. High school counselors on the lower Delmarva Peninsula will come to share and learn from their professional peers. In addition, presentations by the two hosts will describe scholarships and other resources available to them and their college-bound students. There will be ample networking time also.

Planning committee:
Kat Harting and Dianne Johnson, DEF
B.J. Summers, CFES
Vicki Carter, Supervisor of Guidance, Somerset County Public Schools

DEF has a new home!

Linda Jagusiak, Office Manager — 2010-07-30T18:55:00.0000000-05:00

Come visit DEF at our new office in the Nonprofit Office Center of the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. Our normal office hours are 11am-5pm, Monday thru Friday, and by appointment. Map and Directions

VOLUNTEER FAIR, September 25, 2010

Linda Jagusiak, Office Manager — 2010-07-30T18:45:00.0000000-05:00

Visit DEF at the Volunteer Fair at Wor-Wic Community College, 10am-2pm, on Saturday, September 25, 2010.

For more information contact the ShoreCAN Volunteer Center at 410-742-9911.