BECA Scholarship details and statistics:
BECA awarded eight scholarships to graduating high school seniors in 2006. The total value of the scholarships was $7,500. Since BECA was created in 1989, the organization has awarded 70 scholarships worth a total of $50,000.

These scholarships are awarded each spring to students who have earned at least five Passports to the Future during their high school career. The value of each of these scholarships varies between $500 and $1,000. Each is a one-time award. Multiple scholarships are awarded depending on funds available. BECA also attempts to award at least one scholarship per high school depending on applications received.

Interested students must apply for the scholarship using the St. Mary's Common Scholarship Application. This application serves as an application for the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce Scholarships, BECA scholarship and over a dozen other local scholarships.

Adding your scholarship to the BECA Common Application:
Do you or your organization offer a scholarship? You can increase the number of applicants for your scholarship by joining the BECA Common Scholarship Application Project. This allows students to apply for multiple scholarships with just one application.

In St. Mary’s County, there are hundreds of college bound seniors graduating every year who struggle to find money for college. Yet, some scholarship providers receive only a few applications. Why? Because the senior year is packed with activities, and the list of available scholarships is long, each with its own form and list of requirements. This array of scholarships overwhelms many students and families.

If you choose to include your scholarship in the St. Mary's Common Scholarship Application ,BECA will send you a copy of every student application it receives that is eligible for your scholarship. This larger pool of applicants will give you an opportunity to find students who best meet the criteria you have set. Use the link in this  paragraph to preview the totally revised Common Application for the 2007-2008 school year.

If you are a scholarship provider and would like to add your scholarship to the Common Application, click here to send an email to the Common Application committee. Give the name of your scholarship and the name of the person and phone/email to be contacted.


Sponsoring a new scholarship:
More scholarships equal more success for St. Mary’s County students and a brighter future for the county via better educated citizens and workforce. If you would like to sponsor a scholarship, but don’t know how or where to start, contact info@SMCBECA.org.

Options available to you or your company would include:

1. Choosing to donate funds that would be pooled with other donations and included in one of the many BECA scholarships offered via the common application.
2. Choosing to fund a scholarship in your business name, your name, or the name of a loved one, offered via the common application and fully administered through the BECA organization.
3. Choosing to fund a scholarship in your business name, your name or the name of a loved one, offered via the common application but fully administered by you, your company or your organization.
4. Choosing to keep your scholarship totally independent by opting not to use the common application but would like to be listed on the site under BECA’s comprehensive list of available local scholarships.

In all cases your scholarship would be listed on the BECA Comprehensive List of Available Local Scholarships a resource BECA has created to assist local students in locating money for college and other post-secondary training.

BECA’s purpose and how you can help.

BECA’s Mission Statement:
The mission of BECA is to build partnerships involving local businesses, the broader community and the school system in order to improve students’ success in school and enhance educational opportunities in St. Mary’s County.

How to become a BECA Volunteer and Supporter:
BECA welcomes community members and businesses to participate in its activities including:
Monthly Planning Meetings
Fund Raising Activities
Public Relations
Scholarship Development and Administration

To join, contact BECA.

Corporate Sponsors:
Along with 45 businesses that provide discounts to Passport holders, some of the larger local businesses provide generous donations for scholarships and for program expenses.

The current list of major corporate sponsors includes:
St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce
St. Mary’s Hospital
General Dynamics Information Technology
SMECO - Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative

Co-sponsors and additional support are provided by:
Cedar Point Federal Credit Union
Cedar Point Financial Services, Inc.
College of Southern Maryland
Educational Systems Federal Credit Union
Mercantile Southern Maryland Bank