Press release:
Local volunteer firefighters have the opportunity to continue their education at Genesee Community College thanks to the Fireman's Association of the State of New York's (FASNY) new Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP).
To address the vital need for volunteers, FASNY has developed HELP as an incentive for people to serve in New York's volunteer fire services. This program will provide tuition reimbursement to student-volunteers allowing them to attain up to 80 credit hours from their closest New York State chartered community college.
Volunteer firefighters interested in the FASNY Higher Education Learning Plan are urged to go online to www.fasny.com and click on information involving the Tuition Reimbursement Program. The deadline for the spring semester is February 1.
Under the FASNY HELP tuition reimbursement program, student-volunteers will be eligible to have up to 100 percent of their tuition reimbursed in exchange for maintaining defined grades and fulfilling defined service requirements as a member in good standing in one of New York's volunteer fire companies. There is no restriction on the type of academic course(s) the FASNY HELP student-volunteer can pursue.
"Volunteer firefighters do a great service to our communities," said Tanya Lane-Martin, GCC director of Admissions. "We're happy to help these dedicated men and women achieve their dreams of acquiring higher education."
In addition to the HELP program from FASNY, local volunteer firefighters are also eligible for the Benjamin Franklin Scholarship from the GCC Foundation. Any individual who has served as a volunteer firefighter or volunteer emergency responder in the GLOW region for at least a year is eligible to apply, as are spouses, children, and grandchildren of volunteer responders.
The scholarship program is named for Benjamin Franklin, one of the founders of the United States and the founder of America's first volunteer firefighting company. Further information and scholarship applications can be found at www.genesee.edu/financial/scholarships.
