Erie Chapter of Credit Unions Awards $8,000 in Scholarships

The Erie Chapter of Credit Unions is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011 James J. DeDad Scholarships.  Six scholarship winners were chosen from almost 200 entries.  The winners include:

• 1st Place $3,000 - Hanna Vicary, Erie FCU
• 2nd Place $1,500 - Gary Schneider, Erie Community CU
• 3rd Place $1,250 - Jennie Lindenberger, Erie Community CU
• 4th Place $1,000 - Kelly Grami, Erie FCU
• 5th Place $750 - Jessica Brennan, Erie Community CU
• 6th Place $500 - Jeremiah Gibbons, Erie FCU

Applicants were asked to write a 500-word essay on the following topic: "Young people often find themselves carrying large amounts of student loan and/or credit card debt upon graduation from college.  What can you do to prevent yourself from overspending in college?"

The scholarships are named in memory of James J. DeDad, former president of the Erie Chapter of Credit Unions.  Since 1995, the scholarship program has awarded a total of $123,000.