Calling all Connecticut high school seniors considering a future in funeral service or one of the “helping professions.” For the 18th consecutive year, the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association (CFDA) is accepting applications from all around the state for its college “Family Support Services Scholarship” program. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 13, 2018.

“Our association is comprised of caring professionals who help others every day, during what can be the most difficult of times,” explains Edward J. Sheehy, Jr, CFSP, CPC, CCO, a licensed funeral director and the 2018 President of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association. “We know how important is to support families and individuals, and that is why our association created this scholarship program nearly two decades ago.”

The CFDA scholarship awards support graduating high school seniors who are pursuing careers in a profession that provides emotional or medical support for families. This includes fields such as funeral service, counseling, social services, psychology, psychiatry, nursing, medicine, social work of gerontology. A total of eight (8) $500 college scholarships will be presented – one to a student in each of the State’s eight counties.

To be eligible for the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association “Family Support Services Scholarship” program, candidates must:

• Be a high school senior who will graduate in June 2018;

• Be a legal resident of the State of Connecticut;

• Be pursuing a career that provides emotional, physical or medical support to families. This includes such professions as funeral service, social services, psychology, psychiatry, nursing, medicine, social work or gerontology.

• Have maintained at least a B grade point average in the 10^th, 11^th and 12^th grades.

All candidates must submit the application form and a current high school transcript and essay responding to the question: Why did you decide to pursue a profession that supports families? The application form must be neat and legible, and filled out completely.

The deadline for applications for the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association’s “Family Support Services Scholarship” program is Friday, April 13, 2018. To download an application and get contest rules, go to www.ctfda.org. To ask questions about the college scholarship program and request an application to be mailed, call the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association (CFDA) at 860-721-0234 or 800-919-2332.