The Assistance League of Everett has awarded 143 scholarships to Snohomish County students graduating this year.
The $200 scholarships help students pay for their cap and gown, senior party, yearbook, prom, announcements, pictures and other senior-year expenses.
Forty-nine of those awards were for Mariner High School students and two were for ACES High School students.
“The students who get awarded are at the poverty line or below, and some of them are homeless,” Phyllis Busch, graduation awards chair for the organization. “These students are also managing to graduate from high school in circumstances that most would find extremely anxiety provoking.
“For them to be able to concentrate on their studies is really admirable.”
The league received 230 applications from 18 high schools throughout Snohomish County. That is a 20 percent increase in applications from 2015.
This year, there were 13 more students deserving of a scholarship than there were funds available, so members of the nonprofit organization donated $2,600 of their own money to help them with graduation expenses.
A selection committee awards the scholarships based on financial need, grade point average and involvement in school and community activities.
Since 2000, the nonprofit organization has awarded 1,472 students in the county more than $305,200 in scholarships.
