Berks County Community Foundation

Liz Martelli Voices Scholarship Fund Application

In Memoriam

"The act of writing was a bright spot in my sister’s life. A constant. Be it poetry or journal entries or articles for Voices during her high school years, she was rarely without pen in hand. I can’t say for sure if writing was an outlet, a source of pride and strength, a hobby, or a calling. But Elizabeth did it well, and within the pages of Voices what she did was communicate with eloquence and ease to her peers. Often times the issues were simple and light, and her sense of humor was on full display. With the serious issues – topics like religion or education – she commanded an adult perspective on the issues while still communicating her thoughts in the language of her generation and engaging them in the subject at hand.

It is no mistake that someone has remembered the quality of Elizabeth’s writing and way with words after all these years; it is my hope that you can draw inspiration from her talent and the words she wrote, but also find within yourself the determination to cultivate your own talent to its true potential, to dedicate yourself to the craft of writing and, perhaps, the profession of journalism as well. Nurture your talent, and strive to share it with others."
Written by Mark Martelli, brother of Liz Martelli

This scholarship fund was established in 2008 by an anonymous donor and is awarded to Berks County residents who are graduating high school seniors and who wrote articles for the Reading Eagle Voices newspaper while in high school. All applicants must be continuing their education after high school and have a financial need.

To be considered for this scholarship, complete and submit the following form electronically between January 15 and April 1.

This application and all required attachments must be submitted on-line by the deadline.

If for some reason you are unable to submit this application and all attachments on-line, you may print the application, complete it, and send it and all required attachments in one envelope to the following address with a postmark of no later than the deadline. If you mail in the application, and if all of the required attachments are not included in one envelope along with your application, your application will be marked as incomplete and will not be considered. No exceptions will be made.

Liz Martelli Voices Scholarship Fund
Berks County Community Foundation
237 Court Street
Reading, PA 19601

Attachments Required:

A one-page essay about how being a writer for Voices impacted your life or your future education or career plans. Essay must be double spaced and typed in 12 point font. Your essay will be judged on appearance, content, spelling and grammar.
A sample of one of your published voices articles:

Applicant Name:

Prefix	First	MI	Last	Suffix

Street Address:

Address 2 (optional):

City:

State: Zip Code:
County

Home Phone Number:

Email address:
Name of High School:

Grade Point Average:

High School Graduation Date:

Father's Name:

Father's Profession and Employer:

Mother's Name:

Mother's Profession and Employer:

Number of years you wrote articles for Voices:

Number of articles written for Voices:

Post-Secondary Information

Name and Address of School, College or Institution You Plan to Attend:

Intended Major:

Intended Career:

Annual tuition, room and board cost to attend:

Awards and Scholarships

List any monetary graduation awards or scholarships (excluding loans) you have already received or anticipate receiving:

School Activities

List any school activities you have participated in during your high school years. Note any leadership positions held and special accomplishments achieved:

Community Service

List any community service activities you participated in during the past four years and any leadership roles you played in those activities:

Work Experience

List any jobs you have had in the past two years:

Essay

Please attach a one-page essay - double spaced and typed in 12 point font - about how being a writer for Voices impacted your life or your future education or career plans:

Voices Article

Please attach a sample of one of your published Voices articles:

How did you hear about the Community Foundation?

Note: Berks County Community Foundation employees, board members and/or committee members are not eligible to apply for or receive a scholarship offered by Berks County Community Foundation, nor are their immediate family members. However, immediate family members are eligible to be nominated and recognized as the recipient of a scholarship, but without the financial award of the scholarship. Immediate families include spouses, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, stepgrandchildren. The ineligibility period for Berks County Community Foundation board members or employees extends five years after board service or employment terminates. The ineligibility period for committee members who are not Berks County Community Foundation staff or board is in effect only during their term of service.