255 Hospitality Students Receive AH&LEF Scholarships
WASHINGTON, DC, October 29, 2009 — The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF), the not-for-profit affiliate of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) awarded 255 scholarships totaling $382,000 through its core programs - the Annual Scholarship Grant Program, Incoming Freshman, and Graduate scholarship programs. In total, AH&LEF awarded more than $523,000 to 333 hospitality management students through its 10 academic scholarship programs this year.
The Annual Scholarship Grant Program, its biggest program, is co-administered with 85 universities and colleges. In 2009, 235 students nominated by AH&LEF-affiliated schools received $320,500 in funds. The program is funded from proceeds of the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS); the Foundation's Annual Giving Campaign; previous AH&LEF capital campaigns, including the New Century Campaign; an well as annual special events, including the Big Apple Auction, Golf Classic, and Hospitality Heritage Dinner Tribute, as well as the following scholarship funds:
* AH&LA Allied Members
* Melinda Bush
* John Clifford Memorial
* Cecil B. Day Memorial
* Handlery
* Conrad N. Hilton Memorial
* Creighton Holden Memorial
* Steve Hymans Memorial
* Richard Kessler
This is the second year for two new AH&LEF scholarships - one for incoming hospitality management freshmen and another for graduate students. Eleven incoming freshmen received scholarships totaling $21,000, and nine graduate students received $5,000 scholarships.
Funding for the freshman scholarships is provided by monies set aside from AH&LEF's last major capital fundraising initiative, the New Century Campaign, and the graduate program is funded from a portion of the ALIS proceeds.
For more information about AH&LEF scholarships and other programs, contact Michelle Poinelli, senior vice president foundation programs, at (202) 289-3181 or mpoinelli@ahlef.org or visit www.ahlef.org .
AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research. For more information, visit www.ahlef.org.
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